The  New 

Building  Estimator 


A  Practical  Guide  to  Estimating 
the  Cost  of  Labor  and  Material  in 
Building  Construction,  from  Exca- 
vation to  Finish;  with  Various 
Practical  Examples  of  Work  Pre- 
sented in  Detail,  and  with  Labor 
Figured  Chiefly  in  Hours  and 
Quantities.  A  Handbook  for 
Architects,  Builders,  Contrac- 
tors, Appraisers,  Engineers, 
Superintendents  and  Draftsmen. 

Eleventh    Edition,    Revised    and    Enlarged 
BY 

WILLIAM   ARTHUR 


NEW  YORK 
DAVID   WILLIAMS    COMPANY 

231-241  WEST  39th  STREET 
1914 


COPYRIGHTED    1909 
By  DAVID  WILLIAMS  CO. 

COPYRIGHTED   1910 
By  DAVID  WILLIAMS  CO. 

COPYRIGHT,  1913. 
3y  DAVID  WILLIAMS  CO, 


dP. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  TENTH   EDITION 

"The  Building  Estimator,"  of  which  the  present  book  is  an 
outgrowth,  had  only  150  pages,  and  an  Index  of  two;  this 
edition  contains  732  pages  and  an  Index  of  seventeen.  In 
such  a  large  work  as  this  now  is,  a  good  Index  is  of  great 
value,  and  it  is  suggested  that  it  be  frequently  consulted. 

The  belief  is  that  the  increase  in  value  has  more  than  kept 
pace  with  the  bulk.  An  endeavor  to  keep  down  the  thick- 
ness has  been  made  by  using  a  thinner  paper  than  in  for- 
mer editions. 

The  field  of  building  is  always  expanding,  and  the  author 
and  publishers  try  to  keep  the  "New  Building  Estimator" 
abreast  of  every  progressive  development.  Therefore,  in 
addition  to  the  main  part  of  the  book  dealing  with  the  stand- 
ard construction,  there  are  detailed  figures  on  reinforced 
concrete,  and  many  chapters  on  Square,  Cubic  Foot,  and 
Comparative  Costs,  on  Physical  Valuation,  and  Depreciation 
that  serve  alike  for  architects,  contractors,  insurance  and 
other  appraisers,  and  railroad  engineers.  Many  states  have 
already  valued  their  railroads,  and  the  same  work  has  been 
recommended  by  high  authority  for  the  nation  at  large, 
while  all  the  buildings  of  great  cities  like  Philadelphia, 
Cleveland,  St.  Paul,  Denver,  etc.,  have  been  assessed  on  a 
square  foot  basis.  The  figures  are  here  put  in  compact  form 
for  the  use  of  all. 

The  ordinary  tabulated  matter  is  given,  but  there  are  also 
special  tables  for  quick  calculation,  including  a  series  for  es- 
timating plaster.  An  hourly  Wage  Table  has  been  prepared 
for  this  edition  in  order  to  save  weekly  calculations.  The 
ordinary  wage  table  is  of  no  use  to  builders  who  pay  by  the 
hour  only. 

The  book  has  from  the  first  been  received  with  favor  by 
the  trade  press,  by  architects,  railroad  engineers,  contrac- 
tors, appraisers,  assessors,  students,  and  others.  It  is  not 


without  faults,  and  some  errors  are  naturally  to  be  found  in 
such  a  large  work;  yet  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  it  serves 
as  a  useful  tool  over  all  the  North  American  continent  and 
beyond.  Faults  can  sometimes  be  cured,  and  errors  cor- 
rected, when  they  are  pointed  out,  and  the  publishers  invite 
criticisms  and  suggestions. 

The  thanks  of  the  author  and  the  publishers  are  given  to 
those  who  have  helped  to  make  the  book  better  than  it  would 
have  been  without  such  assistance.  We  live  in  an  age  when 
men  and  not  man  alone  do  the  best  work.  Both  author  and 
publishers  hope  to  keep  "The  New  Building  Estimator"  up 
to  date  in  such  a  way  as  will  make  it  universally  recognized 
as  not  only  the  standard  book  on  builders'  cost  data,  but  as 
an  indispensable  companion  of  all  who  make  appraisements 
and  physical  valuations  on  farms,  in  cities,  on  railroads,  or 
elsewhere. 

November,  1912. 


PREFACE  TO  THE  TWELTH  EDITION 

The  rapid  sale  of  the  Tenth  and  Eleventh  editions  shows 
that  "The  New  Building  Estimator"  in  its  enlarged  form 
serves  the  needs  of  all  connected  with  building  in  a  more 
satisfactory  manner  than  ever.  Since  the  preface  to  the 
Tenth  edition  'was  written,  a  national  law  has  been  passed 
providing  for  the  physical  valuation  of  all  the  railroads  of 
the  United  States.  The  book  is  specially  adapted  for  this 
work  with  illustrations  of  values  that  apply  to  all  kinds 
of  railroad  structures,  and  methods  of  estimating  them. 
The  expectation  was  that  such  a  law  would  be  passed  by 
Congress,  and  in  this  field,  as  in  others,  the  endeavor  is  to 
keep  "The  New  Building  Estimator"  abreast  of  the  times. 
August,  1913 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

Part  One 

APPROXIMATE  ESTIMATING                 PAGE 
Excavating,  Wood  Piling,  Concrete,  Rubble,  Cut  Stone,  Brick- 
work   11 

Brickwork,  Steel  and  Iron,  Carpentry   12 

Carpentry 13 

Tin  and  Galv.  Iron,  Plaster,  Mill  work '. 31 

Millwork 31 

Paint,  Percentages 33 

Percentages  of  Various  Kinds  of  Buildings 33 

Relative  Cost  of  Brick  and  Glass  39 

Relative  Cost  of  Brick  and  Frame  Buildings 39 

Part  Two 
CHAPTEE  DETAILED  ESTIMATING 

I  Excavation  and  Filling 40 

II  Piling    43 

III  Concrete 45 

IV  Stonework    61 

V  Brickwork    74 

VI     Municipal  Work    97 

VII     Fireproofing:   Tile:   Reinforced  Concrete   112 

VIII    Cement  Stone  129 

IX    Plaster    134 

X     Carpenter  and  Joiner  Work    150 

XI     Millwork  and  Glass    180 

XII     Glass .• 205 

XIII  Structural  Steel  and  Iron 210 

XIV  Hardware  223 

XV     Sheet  metal  Work 235 

XVI    Roofing   245 

XVII     Painting 259 

XVIII    Plumbing  and  Gas  Fitting  278 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XIX    Heating  and  Lighting   287 

XX     Tiling    295 

XXI     Cost  of  Buildings  per  Sq  and  Cu  Ft 300 

XXII     Eailroad  Buildings  per  Sq  and  Cu  Ft 314 

XXIII  Standard  Engine  Houses    338 

XXIV  Standard  Sizes  and  Grades  345 

XXV     Odds  and  Ends 354 

XXVI    Hints  on  House  Building   360 

XXVII    Cottages  in  Spain 384 

XXVIII     Weights  and  Measures    393 

XXIX    Counting  the   Cost    413 

XXX    Actual  Cost  of  Reinforced  Concrete  . . 436 

XXXI     Measurement  of  Building  Work 485 

XXXII     Comparative  Costs    510 

XXXIII  Cornices  and  Canvas  Roofs 522 

XXXIV  Sprinkler   System    528 

XXXV     Silos 535 

XXXVI     Depreciation    556 

XXXVII     Physical  Valuation— General  Principles 571 

XXXVIII     Physical  Valuation— Details    ! 583 

XXXIX    Railroad  Figures   600 

XL    Grain   Elevators    625 

XLI     Square  Foot  Costs 629 

XLH    Approximate  Cost  of  Wood  Trusses   648 

XLIII    Short  Cuts    653 

XLIV    Equipment  of  Buildings    659 

XLV    Apartment  Houses    667 

XLVI    Wage  Table    673 

XLVII     Ornamental  Iron  Work  685 


ABBREVIATIONS. 


aver   average 

bldg  building 

bm  board  measure 

c  i  cast  iron 

col   column 

c  p  candle  power 

cu  ft,  cf  cubic  foot  or  feet 

cu  in,  ci  cubic  inch  or  inches 

cu  yd,  cy,  cubic  yard  or  yards 

diam    diameter 

dbl  double 

d  s  double  strength 

d  and  m  dressed  and  matched 

d    m    and   b    dressed,    matched 

and  beaded 

est,    estg   estimate,    estimating 
ex  met   expanded  metal 
fob  free  on  board,  i,  e,  freight 

paid 

galv   i   galvanized   iron 
h  p  horse  power 
lab  labor 

lin  ft,  if  lineal  foot  or  feet 
matl  material 
M  1,000 
'm  measure 
mult  multiply  or  plied 


N  P  Norway  pine 

o  c  on  center 

O  F  Oregon  fir 

O  G  style  of  door  moulding 

P  G  style  of  door  moulding 

pcs   pieces 

q  s   quarter  sawed 

r  c  red  cedar 

r  o  red  oak 

r  w  red  wood 

s  s  single  strength   (glass) 

sq  square,  squares,   100  sq  ft 

sq  ft,  s  f  square  foot  or  feet 

s  g  straight  grained 

surf    surface 

T  and  G  tongued  and  grooved 

v   g  vertical  grained 

wt    weight 

w  o  white  oak 

w  p  white  pine 

win  window 

wrot   wrought 

yd  yard 

y  p  yellow  pine 

"    foot    or    feet;    inch    or 
inches 


INTRODUCTORY. 

(Reprinted  from  Earlier  Editions.) 


"  For  which  of  you,  intending  to  build  a  tower,  sitteth  not 
down  first,  and  counteth  the  cost,  whether  he  have  suf- 
ficient to  finish  it?  Lest  haply,  after  he  hath  laid  the  founda- 
tion, and  is  not  able  to  finish  it,  all  that  behold  it  begin 'to 
mock  him,  saying,  This  man  began  to  build  and  was  not 
able  to  finish." 

"  The  house  is  never  built  for  less  than  the  builder  counted 
on." "  The  Cloister  and  the  Hearth." 

This  is  an  age  of  machinery,  and  "  The  Building  Estimator  " 
is  put  forth  as  another  labor-saving  machine. 

A  book  of  this  kind  is  necessary  for  estimators  and  con- 
tractors as  much  as  special  books  are  for  men  in  other  callings. 
It  is  impossible  to  remember  everything — hard  to  keep  many 
figures  in  the  mind  without  an  occasional  reference  to  tabu- 
lated results  gained  from  experience.  It  would  be  better  to 
say  average  experience,  for  I  once  asked  three  brick  con- 
tractors how  much  lime  was  required  for  a  thousand  brick, 
and  the  first  said  half  a  barrel,  the  next  a  barrel  and  a  half, 
and  the  last  a  barrel.  They  did  their  work  close  to  the  supply 
yards,  and  probably  had  never  taken  the  pains  to  get  accurate 
figures,  or  they  perhaps  believed  in  different  proportions  of 
sand. 

About  two  years  ago  I  wanted  more  precise  information  than 
I  possessed  on  certain  points,  but  I  did  not  want  to  compile  it 
myself.  Willing  to  profit  by  the  labor  of  others  I  looked  into 
the  estimating  parts -of  several  standard  books,  such  as  Traut- 
wine's  and  Kidder's,  only  to  find  that  they  had  too  little 
space  devoted  to  this  branch  for  my  particular  purpose,  and 
too  much  to  what  did  not  concern  me.  Then  I  procured  half 
a  dozen  other  books,  and  after  examining  them  concluded  that 
with  patience  I  could,  for  my  own  requirements,  at  least,  do 
better  than  had  yet  been  done. 


2  THE  ^  NE  W  '  BUIDING     ESTIMATOR 


too  'i&uch  experience  to  be  satisfied  with 
what  was  presented  by  several  writers  who  have  worked  in 
this  field.  Before  then  $7,000,000  of  estimates  and  bids  had 
passed  through  my  hands,  and  $500,000  worth  of  completed 
buildings,  —  and  since  then  I  have  made  estimates  amounting 
to  $3,000,000  or  $4,000,000.  Only  on  one—  a  $40,000  building- 
had  there  been  any  loss,  and  that  of  not  more  than  two  or 
three  hundred  dollars.  On  all  others  the  profit  was  always 
at  least  a  little  more  than  was  estimated. 

Of  what  use,  then,  is  such  a  book  as  this  to  an  estimator 
who  has  certainly  had  a  fair  amount  of  experience  in  working 
without  one?  Much  in  every  way.  It  saves  time,  it  saves  the 
memory,  it  gives  certainty  instead  of  guesswork,  —  for  what 
has  been  once  done  can  be  done  again,  —  it  preserves  the  old 
and  gathers  the  new.  There  are  many  new  things  under  the 
sun  for  each  succeeding  generation.  It  is  better  to  keep  a 
record  than  to  lose  the  old  that  is  useful  or  the  new  that  we 
continually  meet  and  welcome. 

Doctors  and  bricklayers  are  not  the  only  ones  who  disagree. 
Some  years  ago  I  was  estimating  a  large  warehouse  in  Omaha. 
There  was  a  floor  of  a  special  kind  used.  I  met  a  few 
experienced  contractors  who  were  not  estimating  on  the  work, 
and  asked  them  how  much  it  was  worth  per  square.  The 
first  figure  was  $1.50,  the  second  $3,  and  the  third  $4.  I  felt 
safe  at  $3,  and  have  since  found  that  the  half  would  have 
been  sufficient.  I  feel  sure  that  the  labor  figures  will  be  of 
value  to  the  old  contractor  as  well  as  to  the  beginner;  and 
something  will  be  found  that  the  wisest  does  not  know,  for 
no  man  knows  everything. 

"When  a  friend  asked  Dr.  Johnson  how  he  came  to  define 
"pastern"  in  a  wrong  way,  he  bravely  answered:  "Sheer 
ignorance,  sir."  I  am  convinced  that  many  low  bids  arise 
as  much  from  sheer  ignorance  as  from  any  desire  to  prove 
in  the  face  of  common  experience  that  two  and  two  equal  five. 

There  are  likely  to  be  some  mistakes  in  "The  Building 
Estimator,"  and  he  who  seeks  shall  find.  I  have  estimated 
and  corrected  all  by  myself,  and  one  misses  what  two  see. 
I  had  no  idea  when  I  began  to  hunt  through  estimate  books 
and  labor  reports  years  old  that  there  would  be  so  much  work 


INTRODUCTORY  3 

connected  with  the  task  I  had  laid  down,  or  it  is  likely  that 
I  should  have  let  it  pass  to  a  more  earnest  brother. 

"  The  Building  Estimator  "  will  be  of  value  in  several  ways: 

1: — It  will  give  weights  and  measures  we  understand.  We 
live  in  a  new  century,  and  we  have  new  names;  the  West  is 
not  the  East,  and  some  of  the  measures  we  use  are  different 
from  those  adhered  to  in  other  sections  of  the  country.  I  do 
not  know  what  a  "  toise  "  is,  and  neither  do  nine-tenths  of  our 
builders.  We  do  not  buy  or  measure  sand  by  the  "  cask,"  but 
by  the  car  or  yard;  and  we  have  finally  and  forevermore  taken 
leave  of  the  cord  and  the  perch.  The  perch  may  be  16$,  22, 
24£  or  25  cf.  If  one  takes  the  wrong  choice  he  is  apt  to 
lose  his  money.  I  have  heard  of  a  contractor  who  was  not 
any  too  well  pleased  when  he  found  that  the  perch  he  thought 
he  bought  for  a  large  contract  and  the  one  he  received  were 
not  quite  the  same.  We  use  the  cubic  foot  or  yard.  Some 
day  when  we  become  really  progressive  we  shall  turn  to  the 
metric  system. 

2: — Only  a  few  years  ago  there  were  no  stone  molders.  A 
straight  molded  sill  cost  from  four  to  fifteen  times  as  much 
as  a  plain  one.  Now  with  the  aid  of  the  machine  the  difference 
is  largely  done  away  with.  Then  the  estimator  had  to  be 
cautious  about  taking  work  by  the  cubic  foot;  now,  if  it  is 
straight,  that  is  the  most  reasonable  way  to  estimate  it.  The 
books  of  the  last  century  still  have  the  old  figures  and  rules. 

3: — In  the  19th  century  lime  plaster  was  fashionable;  now 
cement  takes  the  place  of  lime.  I  met  a  plasterer  the  other 
day,  and  he  told  me  that  for  the  first  time  in  nine  years  he 
was  plastering  a  small  building  with  the  old  brand.  The 
tables  for  allowances  in  the  standard  books  have  not  a  word 
to  say  about  the  quantities  for  cement  plaster,  and  the  allow- 
ances in  this  book  deal  chiefly  with  the  new  kind. 

The  astonishing  developments  in  metal  lath,  expanding  metal 
and  concrete,  have  turned  our  old  figures  and  ideas  upside 
down.  The  walls  of  immense  manufacturing  buildings  are 
now  put  up  only  two  or  three  inches  thick.  It  is  time  to 
recognize  this  new  method  of  construction  in  a  new  book. 

When  the  walls  are  up  they  are  covered  with  cold-water 
paint,  put  on  with  compressed  air  with  either  steam  or  hand 


4  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

power  behind  it.  Our  grandfathers  never  heard  of  this  paint 
and  this  brush. 

4: — After  all  the  inevitable  corrections  are  made  "The 
Building  Estimator "  may  serve  as  a  kind  of  a  standard. 
Those  who  refer  to  it  will  not,  of  course,  bring  in  bids  vary- 
ing only  one  or  two  per  cent,  but  the  present  differences  ought 
to  be  done  away  with.  They  are  sometimes  large  enough  to 
make  one  wonder  if  all  contractors  use  the  same  multiplication 
table.  Occasionally,  however,  there  are  factors  that  enter  into 
a  complete  bid  and  make  a  larger  difference  than  seems 
warranted  by  the  price  of  material  and  labor.  There  are  often 
cases  where  B  is  sure  that  C,  the  successful  contractor,  is 
going  to  lose  money,  while  C  has  a  subbid  or  a  favorable  price 
of  material  that  keeps  him  safe.  Or,  again,  C  may  know  a 
better  way  of  doing  the  work. 

With  experienced  contractors,  one  would  think,  bids  ought 
to  come  within  five  per  cent  of  difference,  but  they  sometimes 
stretch  to  thirty,  and  on  new  kinds  of  work  even  to  fifty.  I 
recently  saw  something  akin  to  what  every  contractor  sees 
many  times  in  the  course  of  a  year:  On  some  plain  mill  work 
that  I  had  estimated  at  $3,400,  the  bids  from  men  who  did 
nothing  else  than  supply  this  material  ranged  from  $3,100  to 
$4,800.  The  highest  wanted  half  as  much  again  as  the  lowest. 
One  mill  might  have  plenty  of  work  and  put  in  a  high  figure; 
another  might  be  short  of  work  and  cut  prices.  When  this 
happens  with  millmen  who  spend  their  lives  at  one  specialty 
what  can  be  expected  from  general  contractors  who  sometimes 
estimate  a  complete  building  themselves?  On  a  U.  S.  contract 
let  for  South  Dakota  the  lowest  bid  was  $376,000,  and  the 
highest  $490,000,  and  both  bidders  were  experienced  con- 
tractors. 

And  while  we  desire  to  see  greater  uniformity,  it  is  well 
to  remember  that  it  is  not  only  actual  cost  which  affects  the 
result,  but  the  percentage  added  for  risk  and  profit.  Three 
per  cent  on  $100,000  makes  a  total  of  $103,000;  ten,  $110,000; 
and  twenty-five,— which  I  have  seen  recommended  by  a  kind- 
hearted  parlor  estimator, — $125,000. 

Another  recommends  three  per  cent  for  office  expenses,  and 
ten  per  cent  for  the  pocket.  Would  that  it  could  be  so 


INTRODUCTORY  5 

arranged!  But  there  are  difficulties  in  the  way.  The  "Cost 
Plus  a  Fixed  Sum  "  system  is  a  good  one. 

But,  again,  the  two  lowest  bids  sometimes  come  surprisingly 
near  each  other.  On  No.  3  the  contractor  whose  bid  was  next 
to  our  accepted  one,  came  within  $400  of  $125,000;  on  the 
Omaha  Public  Library — running  about  $80,000,  I  think — we 
came  next  to  him,  but  about  $350  higher. 

And  as  a  final  word  on  uniform  bids,  unreliable  estimates, 
and  so  forth,  it  is  often  necessary  to  look  at  the  date  when 
they  were  made.  Prices  sometimes  soar  or  fall  in  a  month  or 
even  less.  An  architect  or  contractor  can  not  control  markets, 
monopolies,  or  unions. 


Perhaps  I  should  say  a  few  words  as  to  how  estimating  is 
done  and  trouble  avoided.  It  might  be  as  well  to  pass  on 
without  doing  so,  as  experience  is  the  best  teacher,  but  some 
counsel  may  be  ventured: 

A: — In  the  first  place  there  is  no  such  thing  as  time  in 
proportion  to  cost  in  estimating.  On  some  buildings  an 
estimator  might  spend  three  or  four  days  in  figuring  millwork 
alone,  and  on  others  a  few  hours  might  be  sufficient;  while 
$1,000  of  hardware  might  take  as  long  as  ten  times  that 
amount  of  plain  brickwork.  Examine  a  plan  before  you 
promise  an  architect  to  take  it  back  with  your  bid  in  a  few 
hours. 

B: — In  making  up  an  estimate  it  is  better  and  safer  to  keep 
each  factor  of  a  complete  bid  separate,  to  finish  and  double- 
line  it,  and  to  make  a  summary  of  all  the  items  at  the  end. 
By  this  method  any  error  or  change  in  plan, — in  brickwork, 
suppose, — can  be  added  under  its  proper  heading  without 
affecting  plaster  or  hardware;  while  if  the  total  is  carried 
from  page  to  page  it  is  impossible  to  change  a  figure  without 
making  a  risky  change  necessary  clear  through. 

And  the  same  system  should  be  followed  under  all  sub- 
headings. Suppose,  for  example,  that  there  are  twenty  to  forty 
different  items  of  concrete  in  a  foundation:  If  the  whole 
amount  is  set  down  as  so  many  cy  there  is  no  way  of  making 


6  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

a  separation  in  case  of  a  change.  If  a  change  is  made  the 
whole  laborious  work  has  to  be  gone  over  again;  while  if  set 
down  in  detail  probably  three-fourths  of  the  figures  have  only 
to  be  copied. 

C: — Get  the  exact  cost  and  add  whatever  profits  you  think 
possible.  You  will  not  get  anything  extra  in  these  latter  days. 
Some  contractors  add  the  profit  on  each  article  as  they  go 
along  and  can  never  tell  exactly  what  they  have  apart  from 
the  cost.  It  is  not  a  good  practice. 

D: — "  Order  is  heaven's  first  law."  As  far  as  possible  make 
out  an  estimate  in  its  natural  order.  Some  specifications  put 
on  the  finals  before  the  rafters  are  in  place.  Excavation 
usually  comes  first  and  painting  or  shelf  hardware  last. 

E: — Make  out  your  estimates  in  a  book  and  keep  it,  and 
correct  "  The  Building  Estimator  "  or  any  other  estimator  by 
your  own  experience.  "  Keep  a  thing  seven  years  and  you 
are  sure  to  find  a  use  for  it."  It  may  be  that  the  building 
burns  and  the  owner  needs  your  help,  or  that  you  want  to 
buy  it  with  your  surplus  profits,  or  that  you  are  even  elected 
assessor. 

Keep  a  record  of  time  on  each  building  and  make  com- 
parisons. Why  should  the  labor  on  one  building  take  ten  to 
forty  per  cent  more  time  than  that  of  another? 

F: — It  is,  of  course,  a  matter  of  choice,  but  I  never  like  to 
hear  a  bid  read  out  for  $40,000.11.  I  always  think  that  for 
mere  good  luck  the  few  cents  ought  to  be  given  the  owner. 
Estimating  is  not  an  exact  science  like  mathematics.  In 
general  I  prefer  to  add  or  deduct  either  two  or  three  cents 
if  necessary  so  that  the  cent  column  will  end  in  0  or  5.  By 
the  time  the  end  is  reached  a  fair  average  is  made,  and  this 
method  makes  the  adding  easier. 

G: — In  making  an  approximate  estimate  for  an  owner  or 
architect  be  liberal.  There  are  many  different  ways  of  in- 
creasing the  cost  of  a  building  by  the  addition  of  a  few  words 
to  the  specifications.  Brick  properly  shoved  means  at  least 
fifty  cents  a  thousand  extra.  It  is  seldom  properly  shoved 
although  specified.  A  change  to  a  better  pressed  brick  may 
be  worth  $10  or  $20  a  thousand.  Cement  Is  more  expensive 
than  lime,  and  Portland  cement  is  more  expensive  than 


INTRODUCTORY  7 

natural.     Hardwood  finish  cost  more  than  cypress,  and  oil 
finish  rubbed  down  costs  more  than  two  coats  of  cheap  paint. 

H: — Do  not  be  afraid  of  an  extra.  It  has  its  advantages. 
Architects  do  not,  as  a  rule,  like  extras,  and  owners  who  order 
them  groan  when  the  bill  is  presented,  but  why  should  they? 
The  proper  way  is  to  settle  for  an  extra  before  a  tool  is  lifted, 
but  whether  this  is  done  or  another  method  followed,  the 
matter  ought  to  be  cleared  up  at  the  end  of  each  month. 
"  Short  accounts  make  long  friends." 

Any  architect  who  is  worth  houseroom  will  give  a  written* 
order  for  an  extra  so  that  the  contractor  may  have  authority 
to  go  ahead.  If  an  architect  asserts  that  the  work  belongs  to 
the  original  contract,  the  time  to  settle  the  matter  is  when 
both  parties  are  familiar  with  the  conditions. 

It  is  rather  a  risky  thing  to  sign  a  contract  which  gives  one 
party  the  sole  right  to  settle  all  disputes. 

If  possible,  use  the  "  Uniform  Contract."  It  may  be  safely 
signed  without  examination.  For  many  years  it  has  been 
under  the  eyes  of  builders,  architects  and  lawyers  in  all  sec- 
tions of  the  country,  and  the  general  conclusion  is  that  for 
contractors  and  owners  alike  it  is  the  best  contract  ever 
devised.  Of  course,  if  an  owner  has  the  power  he  will  use 
another  and  more  one-sided  instrument.  That  is  human 
nature. 

I: — Get  subbids  made  out  "according  to  plans  and  specifi- 
cations," and  do  not  accept  a  list.  Material  men  and  sub- 
contractors are  sometimes  a  little  unreasonable.  A  general 
contractor  has  to  take  chances  of  all  mistakes,  while  a  sub- 
contractor in  following  the  list  method  refuses  to  take  chances 
on  even  his  small  proportion. 

J: — If  you  are  so  fortunate  as  to  proceed  from  estimating 
to  construction,  insure  against  fire,  lightning,  tornadoes,  and 
accident  to  person  or  building.  "  Then,"  you  say,  "  the  insur- 
ance men  would  get  all  the  profits."  It  is  a  sad  state  of 
affairs,  but  can  you  risk  losing  all  you  have?  Suppose  two 
or  three  men  are  killed?  Suppose  a  fire  gets  the  upper  hand? 
Most  Omaha  contractors  remember  a  firm  that  finished  a 
schoolhouse  ready  to  turn  over.  Their  insurance  lapsed,  and 
the  building  was  destroyed  by  fire  before  it  was  accepted. 


8  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

That  ended  their  career  in  the  building  line.  Another  Omaha 
contractor  with  lapsed  insurance  had  to  pay  $1,300  for  a 
fatal  accident.  On  No.  5  one  partition  was  burned  out,  and 
the  building  might  easily  have  followed.  On  No.  3  a  man  was 
killed.  It  is  far  too  dangerous  to  risk  fire  loss  and  damage 
suits  without  insurance. 

Allow  building  permits  according  to  local  rate,  which  ought 
to  be  about  ten  cents  per  $100. 

K: — Do  not  accept  any  contract  where  the  reserve  is  more 
than  fifteen  per  cent,  unless  you  have  plenty  of  money, — and 
if  you  have  why  be  a  contractor?  Do  not  give  a  bond  for 
more  than  one-third  of  the  contract,  and  fight  for  one-fourth, 
which  is  enough.  If  the  owner  is  afraid  of  a  ten  per  cent 
reserve  and  a  bond  for  even  one-fifth,  he  ought  to  hunt  up 
another  contractor,  for  he  is  clearly  dealing  with  the  wrong 
man. 

It  is  but  right  that  a  contractor  should  be  paid  for  material 
delivered  on  the  ground.  Many  states  do  this,  and  so  does  the 
United  States.  But  a  contractor,  no  matter  what  his  financial 
standing,  should  be  obliged  to  show  receipts  for  material  em- 
braced under  his  previous  payment  before  another  is  given, 
or  else  show  a  waiver  from  his  material  men.  Wages  in 
cities  are  paid  on  the  building,  and  the  owner  or  his  repre- 
sentative may  see  to  this  for  himself,  so  that  there  will  not 
be  any  danger  of  liens.  Personally,  I  never  lost  even  a  single 
dollar  through  an  owner,  and  no  material  man  or  subcontractor 
ever  lost  one  through  work  done  for  me,  but  trouble  of  that 
kind  sometimes  comes  like  lightning.  A  certain  amount  of 
capital  is  necessary.  Do  not  attempt  to  bite  off  more  than 
you  can  chew. 

L: — Finally,  my  brethren,  if  you  really  put  your  foot  in  it, 
back  out.  It  is  rather  an  unpleasant  thing  to  do,  and  I  have 
had  to  do  it  only  once  when  the  carpenter  labor  was  carefully 
estimated  and  not  put  in  the  total.  But  it  is  sometimes  better 
to  sacrifice  pride  than  dollars.  Most  blunders  are  caught  in 
time,  but  some  are  not  caught  until  too  late  a  time.  The 
best  will  make  a  mistake — but  do  not  get  scared  into  the 
baclfcing-out  habit. 


INTRODUCTORY  9 

"We  have  all  heard  tales  of  woe  without  number, — cornices 
forgotten,  roofs  left  off,  cut  stone  omitted,  and  so  on  to  the 
end  of  the  dismal  chapter.  Add  a  percentage.  It  is  unsafe 
to  be  without  it.  A  percentage  is  an  excellent  thing  to  have 
around  a  finished  house,  or  one  that  merely  shines  on  paper. 
They  all  say  so,  but  the  trouble  is  that  when  the  percentage 
is  added  in  its  proper  place,  some  one  who  forgot  it  gets  the 
contract.  Two  of  the  parlor  estimators'  books  which  I  sighed 
over,  say  that  it  should  never  be  less  than  five  per  cent  and 
never  more  than  twenty-five  or  thirty  per  cent:  ten  is  said 
to  be  fair.  Well,  rather.  Fair  to  middlin',  most  contractors 
would  say.  On  a  general  contract  six  per  cent  is  very  ac- 
ceptable, while  more  is  very  desirable. 

This  book  is  chiefly  designed  for  estimating,  and  need  not 
be  examined  for  much  else.  An  estimator  needs  a  book  of 
his  own.  When  one  considers  the  variety  of  buildings,  rang- 
ing from  three-roomed  cottages  to  five  and  ten-story  fire- 
proof structures,  to  say  nothing  of  forty-story  ones,  and  that 
a  general  contractor  has  to  have  a  fair  acquaintance  with 
each  branch,  there  seems  to  be  quite  enough  in  this  field  to 
engage  the  attention  of  any  one  man.  "  How  much  will  it 
cost?"  is  an  important  question  that  has  to  be  decided  before 
the  final  word  is  given  to  go  ahead.  And  herein  lies  the 
responsibility  of  the  estimator.  He  must  do  his  work  care- 
fully enough  to  keep  his  employer  out  of  the  bankruptcy; 
court.  An  owner  is  sometimes  swamped  with  a  heavy  bill 
of  extras. 

I  thought  it  a  good  idea  to  give  pictures  of  some  of  the 
buildings  from  which  my  figures  have  been  drawn.  In  a 
book  of  this  kind  an  illustration  is  worth  many  pages  of 
writing,  and  yet,  curiously  enough,  I  never  saw  one  of  the 
right  kind  in  the  books  I  looked  through.  When  actual 
results  are  given  on  typical  buildings  a  raw  estimator  can 
proceed  with  confidence. 

Figures  are  used  in  all  cases.  In  technical  works  this  is 
a  better  system  than  spelling  out  words  which  remain  half 
buried  in  the  page  instead  of  standing  out  clear. 

No  allowance  is  made  for  profit:  actual  cost  is  given 
straight  through,  unless  otherwise  stated.  In  measurement, 


10  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

actual  quantities  only  are  taken:  trade  rules  for  doubling 
corners,  including  openings,  taking  attic  plaster  on  the 
square,  etc.,  are  not  recognized  in  this  book;  but  brickwork 
is  allowed  in  "  wall  measure,"  or  22£  bricks  to  the  cf. 


PART  ONE 

APPROXIMATE   ESTIMATING 

EXCAVATION 

Excavation  may  cost  all  the  way  from  15c  to  $1  per  cy, 
according  to  the  wages  paid,  the  thermometer,  the  character 
of  the  soil,  length  of  the  haul  and  other  local  conditions.  But 
in  cities  40c  may  be  taken  as  an  average  price,  while  half 
of  that  is  often  enough  in  small  towns. 

WOOD  PILING 

From  30c  to  50c  per  If,  driven  and  cut.    See  Chap.  II. 

CONCRETE 

Ordinary  concrete  with  natural  cement,  such  as  Milwaukee 
or  Louisville,  at  $1.00  a  bbl,  $4.95  per  cy.  With  American 
Portland  at  $1.60,  $5.75.  If  there  are  forms  add  75c. 

RUBBLE 

From  $5  to  $6.50  per  cy  depending  upon  the  character  and 
amount  of  the  work. 

CUT  STONE 

Bedford  is  a  standard.  For  a  building  with  a  fair  allowance 
of  straight  moldings,  $1.60  per  cf  all  through.  If  carving 
is  used  each  piece  must  be  priced  separately.  For  water- 
table,  sills  and  plain  work,  $1.50.  On  a  large  bill  add  10  to 
15%  for  setting. 

BRICKWORK 

As  this  first  part  of  the  book  may  be  used  by  those  who 
are  not  accustomed  to  the  trade  method  of  estimating,  the 
following  rule  is  given,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
although  walls  are  marked  13"  they  count  as  12":  Find  the 
cf  after  deducting  all  openings,  and  then  mult  by  22$  for 

11 


12  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

the  number  of  brick,  and  mult  the  product  by  the  price 
of  the  brick  per  1,000  laid  down  on  the  ground,  plus  $4  for 
labor  and  mortar.  Thus  brick  delivered  at  $6.50  would  be 
estimated  at  $10.50.  Hard  brick  for  work  below  ground  are 
a  trifle  smaller  and  cost  from  50c  to  $1  per  1,000  extra.  If 
work  is  laid  in  cement,  add  $1  per  1,000  wall  measure. 

The  foregoing  rule  applies  to  common  work.  On  buildings 
with  pilasters,  offsets,  cornices,  etc,  an  extra  allowance  must 
be  made  according  to  judgment.  On  a  building  on  South 
13th  Street,  Omaha,  a  bricklayer  paid  $1,800  for  a  lesson  in 
laying  a  "  gingerbread  "  front,  and  a  few  more  thousands  for 
another  lesson  in  a  mud-hole  20  feet  below  grade. 

If  pressed  brick  are  used  get  the  exact  number  of  sq  ft  and 
mult  by  7.  Mult  the  result  thus  obtained  by  the  price 
per  1,000  delivered,  and  add  to  former  estimate  without 
deducting  any  common  brick.  The  price  of  the  pressed  brick 
is  thus  added  to  make  up  for  the  extra  time  spent  in  laying. 
On  some  fine  fronts  another  extra  allowance  of  from  $10  to 
$20  per  1,000  is  made. 

STEEL  AND   IRON 

Put  steel  beams  at  $80  to  $90  a  ton  set,  and  plain  cast  iron 
at  $45  to  $60. 

CARPENTRY— FLOORS,  CEILINGS,  AND   ROOFS 

As  a  basis  of  calculation  a  space  22'xlOO'  in  the  clear  has 
been  taken,  and  quantities  made  out  for  22  sq.  Different 
classes  of  buildings  require  bills  of  material  that  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  number  of  partitions,  stairs,  chimneys,  ele- 
vators, etc,  and  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  give  one  rule 
for  all,  but  as  an  average  7  extra  joists  have  been  allowed. 

By  dividing  the  quantity  by  the  number  of  pieces,  the  cost 
of  material  and  labor  for  one  joist  can  be  readily  found  and 
additions  or  deductions  made  to  suit.  The  shorter  lengths 
required  for  the  tail-joists  at,  stair  make  up  for  the  double- 
header. 

All  joists  are  estimated  22'  long,  not  24;  but  number  of 
feet  is  given  in  bm  so  that  price  can  be  easily  changed  for 
shorter  or  longer  lengths,  and  thus  also  for  increase  or  de- 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  13 

crease  of  the  unit  used  as  a  basis.  The  labor  can  be  regu- 
lated in  the  same  way  according  to  the  local  standard.  Thus 
2x14  joists,  12"  centers,  require  5,544'.  At  a  decrease  of  $3 
per  1,000  the  cost  is  reduced  $16.63  on  22  sq,  or  75c  for 
a  square.  So  with  sheeting  or  flooring  according  to  price. 
If  labor  is  30c  instead  of  40c,  the  cost  of  that  item — apart 
from  lumber — will  be  as  4  to  3  on  the  number  of  feet;  if  50, 
increase  in  proportion  of  4  to  5. 

Thus,  to  illustrate,  the  joists  are  put  at  $8  per  1,000  for 
labor  on  a  40c  basis.  If  labor  is  only  30c  the  rate  will  be 
$6;  if  50c,  $10.  There  being  in  22  sqs,  5544'  for  the  2x14 
joists  at  centers  given,  the  decreased  cost  per  sq  Will  be 
50c  for  the  $6  rate;  and  the  increased  cost  on  the  $10  basis 
50c  also.  For  an  8-hour  day  the  amounts  of  sheeting,  lap, 
flooring,  etc.,  are  stated  under  "  Labor."  Leave  the  quantities 
as  they  are,  and  change  to  suit  local  rate. 

In  the  4th  column  of  the  following  tables  the  cost  per  sq 
of  joists  and  bridging  only  is  given — no  sheeting,  paper  or 
flooring  being  allowed.  The  estimator  is  thus  enabled  to 
cover  the  bare  joists  of  floors,  ceilings  or  flat  roofs  to  suit  any 
specifications  by  using  the  prices  given. 

The  usual  number  of  anchors  are  allowed  at  sides  and 
ends.  As  they  are  figured  for  a  22'  span  the  number  required 
for  a  building  of,  say,  3  spans  would  be  a  trifle  less,  as  strap- 
anchor  at  joint  would  take  the  place  of  2  tees,  but  this  does 
not  materially  affect  the  cost.  The  allowance  is  from  80c 
to  $1.25  for  material  per  sq — the  labor  goes  in  with  the 
lumber. 

BRIDGING: — The  number  of  If  for  2  rows  has  been  given. 
The  gain  on  the  bevel  makes  up  for  the  waste,  especially  on 
the  narrow  spaces.  On  the  different  sizes  and  centers  of 
joists  the  number  of  If  runs  from  430  to  620.  A  price  per 
sq  is  taken  of  70c  on  the  wide  and  shallow  spaces  to  $1  on 
the  narrow  and  deep  for  2x4;  less  will  do  for  1x4.  See 
table  this  chapter  for  proportionate  cost  of  unnailed  material. 
NAILS: — Sufficient  nails  at  $2.60  a  keg  have  been  allowed. 
Nails  and  labor  are,  of  course,  more  for  bridging,  sheeting 
and  flooring  on  narrow  spaces,  but  only  an  average  can  be 
given. 


14  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LABOR: — The  standard  taken  is  8  hours  at  40c  an  hour,  and 
the  estimate  is  safe  enough  anywhere  if  freight,  hauling,  etc, 
are  watched.  On  heavy  joists  an  average  of  800'  bm,  or  $8 
per  1,000  has  been  used  for  2  men  in  a  day.  They  will  do  much 
more  on  lower  floors  of  a  building,  but  this  is  for  approximate 
estimating,  and  is  safe  from  cellar  to  roof  of  a  building  of  4 
to  5  stories.  Less  is  allowed  on  2x4  and  2x6;  sheeting  is  put 
at  1,000  ft;  shiplap  at  1,000;  6"  flooring  at  4*  sq;  4", 
usually  for  the  top  floor,  at  3  sq.  Sometimes  about  twice 
as  much  might  be  laid,  depending  on  the  building.  Plain 
maple  and  oak  flooring,  2£  face,  at  1  sq. 

Does  it  all  mean  for  a  large  warehouse  or  for  a  dwelling 
divided  into  small  rooms?  A  little  judgment  must  be 
exercised  and  changes  made  to  suit  the  building.  Some  oak 
floors,  for  example,  cost  from  $10  to  $16  per  sq  for  laying 
alone,  on  a  40c  basis,  in  a  fine  house  built  in  1904.  For 
special  work  of  this  kind  reference  must  be  made  to  "  De- 
tailed Estimating  "  in  Part  Two. 

In  the  5th  column  of  the  following  table,  the  difference  in 
cost  for  each  dollar  of  difference  in  the  price  of  joist  and 
bridging  lumber  alone  is  given  in  cents.  The  highest 
quantity  of  bridging  is  620  If,  and  allowing  2x4  the  differ- 
ence per  sq  for  each  dollar  may  be  taken  as  3c  on  a  basis  of 
$24  lumber. 

NUMBER  OF   PIECES   REQUIRED 

108  at  12  centers  75  at  18  centers  63  at  22  centers 

94  at  14  centers  68  at  20  centers  58  at  24  centers 

83  at  16  centers 

QUANTITIES  REQUIRED 

Sheeting  8" 2550'  bm       Flooring  4" 2850'  bm 

Shiplap    8" 2650'  bm       Flooring  2x6 5200'  bm 

Flooring  6" 2650'  bm       Flooring  maple,  2| 2950'  bra 

PRICE  PER  SQ  OF  JOISTS  LAID 

(Deduct  bridging  if  not  required.   Deduct  anchors  on  a  frame  building.) 

,  ,,       2x4  list:  Lumber,  $24  T  „ 

Li.r .  J-i.r . 

Centers  Quantity  Bridg  Price     Diff  Centers  Quantity  Bridg  Price     Diff 

12"   1584  $2.90  8c     20"    998  $1.85  5c 

14"   1379  ....  2.50  7c     22"    924  1.70  5c 

16"   1217  2.15  6c     24"    851  1.60  4c 

18"   1100  ....  2.00  5c 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING 


15 


Price  pet*  Sq  of  Joists  Laid— Continued 


2x6  list: 

Lumber,  $24 

12" 

2376 

430 

5.30 

13c 

20" 

1496 

430 

3 

.75 

9c 

14" 

2068 

430 

4.75 

12c 

22" 

1386  ' 

430 

3 

.50 

9c 

16" 

1826 

430 

4.35 

lie 

24" 

1276 

430 

3 

.30 

8c 

18" 

1650 

430 

4.00 

lOc 

2x8  list: 

Lumber,  $26 

12" 

3168 

450 

6.70 

17c 

20" 

1995 

430 

4.75 

lie 

14" 

2757 

450 

6.05 

15c 

22" 

1848 

430 

4 

.45 

lie 

16" 

2435 

450 

5.50 

13c 

24" 

1701 

430 

4 

.20 

lOc 

18" 

2200 

450 

5.10 

12c 

2x10 

list: 

Lumber, 

$28 

12" 

3960 

490 

8.40 

20c 

20" 

2494 

440 

5 

.85 

14e 

14" 

3446 

490 

7.50 

18c 

22" 

2310 

440 

5 

.50 

13c 

16" 

3044 

490 

6.80 

16c 

24" 

2126 

440 

5 

.15 

12c 

18" 

2750 

490 

6.30 

15c 

2x12 

list: 

Lumber, 

$29 

12" 

4752 

560 

10.10 

24c 

20" 

2992 

470 

6 

.95 

16c 

14" 

4136 

560 

9.00 

21c 

22" 

2772 

470 

6 

.50 

•15c 

16" 

3652 

560 

8.15 

19c 

24" 

2552 

470 

6 

.10 

13c 

18" 

3300 

560 

7.50 

17c 

2x14 

list: 

Lumber, 

$30 

12" 

5544 

620 

11.75 

28c 

20" 

3491 

500 

8 

.00 

18c 

14" 

4825 

620 

10.50 

24c 

22" 

3234 

500 

7 

.50 

17c 

16" 

4261 

620 

9.55 

22c 

24" 

2977 

500 

7 

.05 

16c 

18" 

3850 

620 

8.70 

20c 

3x10  list:  Lumber,  $30 

12"      5940      470  12.50  30c  20"      3740 

14"      5170      470  11.10   26c  22"       3465 

16"      4565      470  10.00   23c  24"      3190 
18"      4125      470     9.20   21c 

3x12  list:  Lumber,  $30 

7128      550  14.55   35c  20"      4488 

6204      550  12.90   31c  22"      4158 

5478      550  11.60  27c  24"      3828 
4950      550  10.65   25c 

3x14  list:  Lumber,  $30 

8316      590  16.65   41c  20"      5236 

7238      590  14.75   36c  22"      4851 

6391      590  13.20   32c  24"      4466 
5775      590  12.10   29c 


12" 
14" 
16" 
18" 


12* 
14" 
16" 

18" 


420 
420 
420 


8.50  19c 
'7.95  18c 
7.45  17c 


500  9.80  23c 
500  9.15  21c 
500  8.55  20c 


530  11.10  26e 
530  10.40  24c 
530  9.65  23c 


NOTE: — The  price  of  lumber  as  grven  is  too  low  in  some  parts,  and  too  higfr 
for  Oregon,  Washington,  and  the  South.  Add  or  deduct  as  necessary.  The 
tables  remain  "  constants,"  and  the  rate  varies  to  suit  the  local  price.  Thus, 


16 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


2x10  at  20*  and  lumber  at  $18,  would  be  only  $4.15;  3x14,  18*,  with  $36  lum- 
ber would  be  $13.34,  at  the  same  rate  for  labor,  anchors,  etc. 

As  noted,  the  joists  on  the  assumed  space,  22'xlOO',  are 
taken  only  22'  long,  for  in  large  warehouses  with  several 
spans  the  length  from  girder  to  girder  is  all  a  part  of  floor; 
but  on  outside  walls,  depending  on  distance,  there  is  a  loss 
of  from  1  to  2  If  of  lumber,  unless,  as  often  happens  now, 
wall  hangers  are  used.  If  end  goes  in  wall,  and  2  If  of 
lumber  is  lost  on  each  joist,  add  to  that  span  of  joists,  per 
sq,  with  price  of  lumber  as  listed: 

For  2x  8 16   centers $0.33 

,  20   centers .27 

73 

56 

87 

67 

centers . .  .   1.30 


For   2x  8 ... 

For .  2x12 12  centers . 

For   2x12 16  centers , 

For   2x14 12  centers. 

For   2x14 16  centers , 

For  3x14 12 


For  3x14 16  centers 1.00 


For  3x14 


,  20  centers 83 


THE   ROTHROCK   METAL  BRIDGING 

A  new  bridging  that  may  be  used  in  place  of  wood  is  made 
of  galv  iron.  The  lengths  as  given  in  the  manufacturer's 
table  are  too  short  for  wood  which  is  put  clear  to  edge  of 
joists. 

SPACING  OF  TIMBER 

12  in  Centers     14  in  Centers     16  in  Centers      20  in  Centers 
Length  of  Bridging 

124"  144' 


Size  of 
Timber 
2"x  6" 
2"x  8" 
2"xlO" 
2"xl2" 
3"x  6" 
3"x  8" 
3"x  9" 
3"xlO" 
3"xl2" 
3"xl4" 
3"xl6" 
4"x  8* 

4"xio" 

4"xl2" 
4"xl4" 
4"xl6" 


104" 

114" 

124" 
134" 

94" 

104" 

10" 


14" 
15" 

IP 


14" 
154" 
94" 
104" 


14" 

154* 

17" 

114" 

124" 

134" 

144 

154" 


15" 
154 
17" 


14" 

144" 

15" 

154" 

17" 


13" 

14" 

15" 

154" 

17" 


18f 
194" 
20i" 
17" 

18 


18; 


20}" 

214" 

17" 
17" 

18}" 
194" 
20i" 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  17 

PRICE   LIST  AT   MILES,  OHIO 
DISCOUNT,   FIFTY  AND  TEN   PER  CENT 

No.    5  length    9J  inches,  per  thousand  pieces $27.00 

No.  10  length  10£  inches,  per  thousand  pieces 27.00 

No.  15  length  11|  inches,  per  thousand  pieces. 27.00 

No.  20  length  13    inches,  per  thousand  pieces 28.00 

No.  25  length  13^  inches,  per  thousand  pieces 29.00 

No.  30  length  14    inches,  per  thousand  pieces 29.00 

No.  35  length  14*  inches,  per  thousand  pieces 30.00 

No.  40  length  15    inches,  per  thousand  pieces 31.00 

No.  45  length  151  inches,  per  thousand  pieces 32.00 

No.  50  length  17    inches,  per  thousand  pieces 34.00 

No.  55  length  18 J  inches,  per  thousand  pieces 35.00 

The  above  price  is  for  the  light  bridging;  the  heavy  costs 
about  50%  more. 

The  standard  length  is  No.  45.  The  weight  of  1,000  pcs  is 
400  Ibs  gross.  The  bridging  is  satisfactory,  and  only  the 
question  of  comparative  cost  has  to  be  considered. 

1000  pcs  No.  45,  metal $14.40 

1000  pcs  wood,  1x3 11 .50 

1000  pcs  wood,  1x4  or  2x2 14 . 50 

1000  pcs  wood,  2x4 26. 75 

The  mills  cut  1x3  and  4  for  30c  per  100  pcs;  and  2x4  for 
40c.  For  1x4,  17"  long,  1,000  pcs  require  473'  bm,  at  $24, 
equals  $11.35,  and  cutting  $3,  a  total  of  $14.35.  The  2x4 
requires  947'  bm,  which,  at  $24,  comes  to  $22.73,  and  cutting 
$4,  a  total  of  $26.73.  Nailing  is  same  for  both  metal  and 
wood,  and  is  not  included.  Freight  is  not  allowed  on  metal. 
The  metal  is  cheaper  than  the  2x4's,  and  the  same  as  the 
1x4. 

With  high-priced  hand  labor  and  no  mill,  the  metal  is  to  be 
preferred. 

BASEMENT  SLEEPERS: — The  joists  or  sleepers  referred  to 
here  are  those  that  are  laid  on  the  earth,  on  cinders  or  on 
concrete,  and  staked  down  or  nailed  with  cleats.  The  number 
of  ft  in  a  day  is  given  in  each  size.  Stakes  are  included. 
In  some  cases,  as  when  concrete  is  used,  they  may  not  be 
necessary  at  all  except  to  hold  sleepers  in  place  until  it 
hardens,  and  1x2  strips  are  often  sufficient;  while  in  other 
cases  2x4 's  driven  several  ft  into  the  ground  would  be  re- 
quired. 


18  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

THE  STAKE  ALLOWANCE   BM    IS  AS  FOLLOWS 

16"  centers..  ..300'      36"  centers ..  ..160' 

20"  centers 250'   48"  centers 120' 

24"  centers 220' 

Stakes  may  be  deducted,  if  not  required,  at  rate  given  in 
table  for  lumber  and  labor. 

There  are  5  extra  sleepers  allowed  in  the  22  sqs.  Covering 
is  not  included.  Only  a  few  nails  are  required,  say,  3c  per 


NUMBER  OF  PIECES 

81  at  16"  centers  40  at  36"  centers 

66  at  20"  centers  31  at  48"  centers 

56  at  24"  centers 

PRICE  PER  SQ  OF  BASEMENT  SLEEPERS 

Price      Cts  for  each  $1  Price    Cts  for  each  $1 

Centers    Quan'y  Per  sq     diff  in  lumber   Centers   Quan'y   Per  sq    diff  in  lumber 

2x4  list:  $24:  400  bm  per  day  or  $16  per  M 
16"      1500  $2.75  7c  24"      1050    $1.95  5 

20"       1220     2.25  6c 

4x4  list:  $26,  700',  or  $9.15  per  M. 

16"      2676     4.30          12c  24"      1860     3.00  9 

20"      2186     3.55          lOc 

4x6  list:  $26,  800',  or  $8  per  M. 

24"      2684     4.20          12c  48"      1484     2.35  7 

36"      1920    3.00  9c 

4x8  list:  $27,  900',  or  $7. 12  per  M. 

24"      3506     5.50          16c  48"       1820     2.85  9 

36"      2507     3.95          12c 

6x6  list:  $27,  900',  or  $7.12  per  M. 

24"      3916     6.10          18c  48"      2170     3.40          10 

36"      2800     4.40          13c 

6x8  list:  $27,   1000',  or  $6.40  per  M. 

24"      5148     7.85          24c  48"      2848     4.40          13 

36"       3680    5.65          17c 

LABOR: — On  the  lists  of  joists  already  given  800'  is  the 
quantity  taken  all  through,  while  on  this  basement  list  the 
allowances  run  from  400'  to  l',000'.  Hoisting  is  not  required 
in  the  basement,  and  it  is  easier  to  handle  lumber  with  a 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  19 

solid  floor  to  walk  on.  A  2x4  takes  more  time  than  a  6x8  in 
proportion  to  its  size,  for  each  joist  or  sleeper,  large  or  small, 
has  to  be  leveled. 

SLEEPERS:— The  floor  of  No.  7  is  laid  on  6x8,  48"  centers, 
and  2  men  handled  from  1,500  to  1,600',  instead  of  1,000  as 
in  the  table,  but  there  were  nearly  600  sq,  while  the  table 
might  be  used  for  20. 

Some  sizes  not  given  may  be  found  by  taking  multiples  of 
those  listed.  Thus  8x8  would  be  twice  as  much  as.  4x8, 
although  there  is  some  little  difference  on  account  of  the 
number  of  ft  per  day. 

WAREHOUSE,  STORE,  AND  MILL  CONSTRUCTION:— Posts 
and  girders  are  not  included  in  the  following  lists:  allow 
them  at  $30  for  lumber  and  $12  for  labor,  which  add  to 
joists.  Joist  lumber,  $28;  labor,  $8,  or  800'  per  day.  It  is 
worth  while  to  remember  that  the  cost  of  a  floor  at  6'  centers 
is  not  exactly  twice  that  of  one  at  3',  for  the  extra  joists  come 
in  both,  and  the  wider  the  space  the  higher  the  proportion. 
Joists  only  are  given;  allow  stirrups,  anchors,  cast-iron  caps 
and  shoes  as  may  be  required. 

For  this  heavy  anchoring  allow  about  $2.50  per  sq, 
labor  being  included  in  lumber.  Only  a  few  nails  are  re- 
quired. 

Common  wrought  iron  stirrups,  f"x3",  5$c  per  Ib.  Double 
ones  are  used  on  beams;  single  are  often  used,  as  at  stair 
wells,  etc.  For  an  approximate  price,  differing  according  to 
size  of  beam  and  length  of  iron,  $2  for  dbl,  and  $1.10  for 
single.  For  V'x3",  $2.60  dbl,  and  $1.60  single.  For  £"x4",  for 
8x16,  $2.25  single. 

As  a  22'  span  is  more  than  the  average  for  this  heavy 
work,  the  stirrups  are  estimated  on  a  basis  of  14'  span,  so  as 
to  allow  enough. 

Duplex,  and  other  hangers,  are  often  used  at  wall  as  well 
as  at  girders.  See  Chap.  XIII. 

See  pages  20,  21,  for  Post  Caps  and  Bases. 

NOTE  :— So  much  lumber  is  used  in  this  form  of  construction  that  it  is  well 
to  remember  the  addition  or  deduction  of  cents  for  each  dollar  of  difference  ID 
local  price  as  compared  with  that  listed.  For  the  beams,  $28  is  the  assumed 
price.  On  the  Pacific  coast,  $16  is  enough,  in  some  sections;  but  to  Omaha, 


20 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


for  example,  the  freight  is  $16.     Add  or  deduct,  therefore,  according  to  price 
of  lumber. 

Lest  anyone  should  think  that  a  6xl2s  set  24"  centers,  is  a  waste  of  lumber, 
I  may  remark  here  that  I  know  of  several  buildings  where  8x1 6s  are  so  placed. 

MILL  CONSTRUCTION  TABLE 

Amt  f9t  Price  Stirrups  Diff  in  Amt  for  Price  Stirrups  Diff  in 

Centers  22  sq  in    per      per  sq   lumber     Centers   22  sq  in     per     per  sq   lumber 


2 
3 

4 

2 
3 

4 

For  8x14  and  8x16,  stirrups  are  allowed  at  i"x4". 

Labor  is  allowed  as  usual — 40c  per  hour.  An  hour  more 
or  less  for  2  men  means  16c  a  day.  On  the  8x16  list,  at  800' 
bm  per  day,  for  example,  at  2'  centers  this  equals  $2.49,  or 
about  lie  per  sq;  at  8',  75c,  or  about  3£c.  But  if  such  exact 
figures  are  necessary  it  is  better  to  refer  to  Part  Two. 

Only  2  extras  are  allowed  in  the  22  squares. 

DUPLEX   POST  CAPS 

For  3  way,  add  25%;  4  way,  50% 

6x  6  two  ways  $2.00 

8x  8  two  ways  2.75 

10x10  two  ways  3.50 

12x12  two  ways 4.00 

14x14  two  ways  5.50 

16x16  two  ways 6.75 


bm. 

sq;    |x3 

of  $1 
6x12 

list 

bm. 

sq 

I  . 

1x3 

of  $1 

6996 

$11 

.60 

$7 

.60 

32c 

5 

3036 

$5. 

15  $3.  15 

14c 

4752 

7 

.90 

5. 

10 

22c 

6 

2640 

4. 

50 

2.60 

12c 

3696 

6. 

20 

3. 

90 

17c 

8 

2112 

3. 

75 

2.00 

lOc 

6x14  list 

8162 

13 

.50 

8 

.00 

37c 

5 

3542 

6. 

00 

3.30 

16c 

5544 

9 

.25 

5 

.40 

25c 

6 

3080 

5. 

20 

2.75 

14c 

4312 

7 

.20 

4 

.10 

20c 

8 

2464 

4. 

20 

2.20 

12c 

6x16  and 

8x12 

list 

9328 

15 

.40 

8 

.75 

43c 

5 

4048 

6. 

80 

3.60 

19c 

6336 

10 

.55 

6. 

00 

29c 

6 

3520 

5. 

90 

3.00 

16c 

4928 

8 

.25 

4. 

50 

23c 

8 

2816 

4. 

75 

2.40 

13c 

8x14 

list 

10893 

18 

.00 

15. 

00 

50c 

5 

4554 

7. 

60 

6.15 

22c 

7392 

12 

25 

10. 

10 

34c 

6 

4107 

6. 

85 

5.15 

19c 

5750 

9 

.55 

7. 

60 

26c 

8 

3286 

5. 

55 

4.00 

15c 

8x16 

list 

12438 

20 

.50 

16 

.40 

57c 

5 

5398 

9. 

00 

6.75 

25c 

8448 

14 

.00 

11 

10 

39c 

6 

4694 

,  7. 

85 

5.65 

21c 

6571 

10 

.75 

8, 

35 

30c 

8 

3755 

6. 

30 

4.35 

17c 

APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  21 

These  prices  are  for  girders  same  depth  as  size  of  posts: 
thus  a  10x10  post  cap  is  priced  for  a  10"  girder:  for  each 
2"  of  extra  depth  of  girder  add  10%  to  price,  making  a  10x10 
cap  for  a  14"  deep  girder,  $4.20.  Duplex  post  bases  are 
about  the  same  price. 

Cast  Iron  Caps,  Size  8x  8  inches  50  Ibs  at  3c. 
Cast  Iron  Caps,  Size  10x10  inches  60  Ibs  at  3c. 
Cast  Iron  Caps,  Size  12x12  inches  80  Ibs  at  3c. 

Weight  depends  upon  load,  so  that  these  figures  are  only 
approximate. 

Mr.  Tyrrell  in  "Architects  and  Builders  Magazine,"  New 
York,  gives  weights  of  heavy  iron  col  bases  for  high  build- 
ings: 

22x22 600   Ibs      32x32 1340    Ibs 

24x24 750   Ibs     34x34 1450   Ibs 

26x26 880    Ibs      36x36 1600    Ibs 

28x28 1020    Ibs      38x38 1720   Ibs 

30x30 ...1180   Ibs      40x40 1850   Ibs 

COVERING: — The  cost  of  the  various  kinds  of  covering  for 
joists,  above  and  below,  is  now  to  be  considered,  and  also 
cents  per  sq  for  difference  of  $1  in  price  of  lumber. 

COST   PER  SQ 

Grade  Description  Price  per  Quantity  laid  Cost  per     Cts 

1000  per  day  sq 

No.  1  YP  Sheeting $27  1000'  bm  $3.93  12 

No.  2  YP  Sheeting 25  950' bm  3.74  12 

No.  1  YP  Shiplap 27  1000' bm  4.05  12 

No.  2  YP  Shiplap 25  950'  bm  3.83  12 

No.  1  YP  Shiplap  on  angle 27  850' bm  4.43  13 

No.  2  YP  Shiplap  on  angle 25  800' bm  4.25  13 

No.  1  YP  Sheeting  on  angle 27  850' bm  4.34  12 

No.  2  YP  Sheeting  on  angle 25  800' bm  4.15  12 

No.  1  WP  Sheeting 40  1100'  bm  5.35  12 

No.  2  WP  Sheeting 35  1100' bm  4.78  12 

No.  3  WP  Sheeting 29  1000'  bm  4.16  12 

No.  1  WP  Shiplap 40  1100' bm  5.48  12 

No.  2  WP  Shiplap 35  1100' bm  4.90  12 

No.  3  WP  Shiplap 29  1000'  bm  4.28  12 

WP  on  angle  add  extra 30  to  50c  13 

No.  1  YP  plank,  2x6,  2x8,  2x10, 

S.IS.2E  26  1200'  bm  7. 15  22 

No.  1  YP  plank,  3x6,  3x8,  3x10, 

S.IS.2E 30  1400' bm  12.00  33 

No.  1  YP  flooring,  2x6,  T  and  G  26  1000' bm  7.85  24 


22  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Cost  per  Sq— Continued 

Grade  Description  Price  per   Quantity  laid  Cost  per    Cts 

1000  per  day  sq 

No.  1  YP  flooring,  2x6,  on  angle  26  875'  bm  8.63  25 
No.  1  YP  plank,  2x6,  to  10  on  an.  26  1100'  bm  7.64  24 
No.  1  YP  plank,  3x6,  to  10  on  an.  30  1300'  bm  13 . 00  36 

y  FLOORING: 


A 
B 
C 
A 
A 
B 
C 
A 
B 
C 

B 
C 
D 
No.  1 
No.  1 

4"  Edge  grain,  YP,  3|  face.  . 
4"  Edge  grain,  YP,  3£  face.  . 
4"  Edge  grain,  YP,  3£  face.  . 
3"  Edge  grain,  YP,  2J  face  .  . 
4"  Flat  grain,  YP,  3J  face.  . 
4"  Flat  grain,  YP,  3£  face.  . 
4"  Flat  grain,  YP,  3£  face.  . 
6"  Flat  grain,  YP,  5|  face.  . 
6"  Flat  grain.  YP,  5|  face.  . 
6"  Flat  grain,  YP,  5  J  face  .  . 

(But  for  6"  floors 
WP,  £"x4"  3£  face 

46           3    sqs 
42            3    sqs 
38           3    sqs 
47           2J  sqs 
35           3    sqs 
33           3    sqs 
30           3    sqs 
35           5    sqs 
33           5    sqs 
30           5    sqs 

,  see  Chap.  X.) 

65          3^  sqs 
60          3i  sqs 
50          3i  sqs 
40            4    sqs 
55          2£  sqs 

30          1\  sqs 
38          2£  sqs 
39          2J  sqs 
39          2    sqs 

$8.30 
7.80 
7.27 
9.57 
6.88 
6.62 
6.23 
5.70 
5.46 
5.10 

10.48 
9.83 
8.53 
7.00 
11.75 

6.71 

7.75 
7.88 
8.70 
.     2.00 

13 
13 
13 
14 
13 
13 
13 
12 
12 
12 

13 
13 
13 
13 

17 

13 
13 
13 
13 

14 

14 
14 
14 
14 
14 
14 
14 

14 
13 

WP,  £"x4",  3i  face  

WP,  £"x4",  3|  face 

WP,  $"x4"  fencing 

O  F  (porch)  1^x4. 

Ceiling  YP 
f  x3£  face                     

f  x3£  face  

fx3|^  corrugated  

f  x3J  2J  face  

For  ordinary  paint  or  oil,  add 

For  nil  finish  nn  floors  a.HH 

.     3.30 

HARDWOOD  FLOORING  $x2± 
Clear  Maole  ^'  

$50 

62 
44 
62 
48 
100 
110 
75 

170 
40 

1   sq 

\  sq 
1   sq 
1   sq 
1   sq 
i  sq 
i  sq 
|   sq 

\  sq 
4  sqs 

$13.20 

21.00 
12.27 
14.60 
12.80 
26.00 
27.25 
18.43 
23.00 
35.05 
4.40 

6.70 

No.  1 
No.  1 

Strictly  Clear  Maple,  (best 
work) 

Select  Maple  

Clear  plain  Red  or  White  Oak 
Select  Red  or  White  Oak  .  . 
Clear  q  s  Red  Oak  (best  work) 
Clear  q  s  W  Oak  (best  work) 
Select  q  s  Red  or  White  Oak 
Thin  Oak  Floors,  varnished  . 
Cherrv  (best  work) 

For  Oiling,  etc.,  add  
Square  edged  4"  Maple  for 
plain   factory  work,  un- 
smoothed  .  . 

APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  23 

Cost  per  Sq— Continued 

Grade  Description  Price  per  Quantity  laid  Cost  per   Cts 

1000  per  day  sq 

T  and  G  4"  Maple,  in  long 

rooms,  smoothed 50          2^  sqs  9.25      13 

Tiling,  see  Chapter  XX. 

Composition  Floors,  see  Chapter  XX. 

Rubber  Floors,  see  Chapter  XX. 

See  "Shop  Floors,"  Chapter  XXII. 

Building  paper,  tar  felt,  etc 25  to  50c 

Plaster  with  wood  lath $3 . 85 

Plaster  with  metal  lath 6. 82 

Metal  ceiling,  wood  furring,  and  painting 13.00 

Gravel  Roof 4.50 

See  also  "Roof  Covering." 
Painting 2 . 00 

A  FEW  COMBINATIONS 

The  tables  are  arranged  so  that  each  one  may  make  his 
own  combinations.    Here  are  a  few  only: 

2x10  joists,  16  centers,  brick  bldg $6.80 

Loss  of  2  If  to  go  in  walls,  average  between  2x8  and 

2x12 4,5 

No.  1  Shiplap  under  floor,  yp 4.05 

Paper    50 

Clear  q  s  W  O,  f  top  floor  best 27.25 

Varnishing    t 4.40 

ACTUAL  COST $43.45 


It  is  best  not  to  add  profit  on  each  item,  but  at  end  of 
complete  estimate. 

3x14  joists,  girder  to  girder,  24"  o  c $9.15 

2x6  yp  flooring  on  angle 8.63 

Paper    50 

Sq  edge  factory  Maple  4"  floor 6.70 


$24.98 


BASEMENT  OR  GROUND  FLOOR 


6x8  Sleepers,  48"  o  c .„  $4.40 

3"  Plank,  laid  straight 12.00 

$16.40 


24  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

MILL  CONSTRUCTION 

8x14,  4'  o  c  on  girders $9.55 

Stirrups    7.60 

Anchors     2.50 

3"  plank  floor  on  angle 13.00 

Paper    50 

Factory  Maple  floor   6.70 

$39.85 

8x12,  6'  o  c,  girder  and  wall $5.90 

Loss  of  2  If,  one  end  (get  2x12,  12  o  c  —  73c  x  4  times 
for  thickness  —  2.92  divided  by  6,  as  the  8x12  is  6  cen- 
ters instead  of  12")  = 49 

Stirrups 3.00 

Anchors    2.50 

3"  plank,  straight  12.00 

Asbestos,  i,  (fireproofing  chap),  and  labor 4.30 

Factory  Maple  Floor  6.70 


$34.89 

OUTSIDE  WALLS,  GABLES  AND  PARTITIONS:— A  space 
22x100  has  been  taken  as  a  basis  of  calculation.  Allowance 
of  studs: 

At  12"  centers  1  to  10".  At  20"  centers  1  to  16" 

At  16"  centers  1  to  12".  At  24"  centers  1  to  20" 

At  18"  centers  1  to  14" 

If  work  is  properly  done  this  is  not  too  much  material;  on 
some  buildings  with  angles  and  projections  it  might  not  be 
enough;  on  others  again  it  would  be  too  much.  Bare  studs 
are  given.  A  day's  labor  for  2  men  is  taken  at  640'  bm,  which 
at  40c  an  hour  is  $10  per  1,000.  For  difficult  gables  add  from 
25  to  50%  to  regular  price.  For  each  dollar  above  or  below 
$24  in  price  of  lumber,  add  or  deduct  the  cents  in  the  last 
col  per  sq. 

Thus,  2x8  with  lumber  at  $26  would  be  at  16"  centers,  $5.52. 
BRIDGING:— For  single  2x4  bridging,  if  used,  allow  per  sq: 

Centers  Level  Angle  Centers  Level  Angle 

12"  40c  50c                  20"  28c  35c 

16"  35c  45c                  24"  26c  33c 

18"  32c  37c 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  25 

2x4  list:  Lumber,  $24 

Centers     Quantity  Cost  per  sq  Cents         Centers    Quantity  Cost  per  sq  Cents 
12"         1961         $3.00        9  20"         1300-      $2.00          6 

16"        1667         2.60        8  24"        1080          1.70          5 

18"         1450          2.25       7 

Bridging  is  not  included  in  the  table. 
For  2x6  add  50%  to  the  2x4  list. 

For  2x8  dble  the  2x4  list,  and  add  the  increased  rate  of 
about  $2  per  M  for  lumber. 

CEILED  PARTITIONS: — For  partitions  ceiled  both  sides 
with  yp  on  a  2x4  framework  and  painted,  allow  19c  per  sq  ft 
With  oak  ceiling,  34c. 

For  partitions  as  above,  but  ceiled  up  with  yp  to  a  height 
Of  about  4'  only  with  glass  door,  and  plain  sash  above,  allow 
25c  per  sq  ft. 

For  yp  ceiling  partitions  without  framework,  allow  18c  per 
sq  ft,  painted  on  both  sides.  Allow  25%  more  for  bath  room 
partitions  with  short  runs,  etc. 

ROLLING  PARTITIONS: — For  yp  horizontal  rolling  parti- 
tions delivered  at  building,  58c  per  sq  ft;  after  oiling  both 
sides,  62c;  in  place  with  hardware,  75c. 

For  some  kinds  $1  would  be  too  low. 

For  larger  horizontals,  yp,  50c  fob  Mass. 

For  larger  horizontals,  plain  oak,  60c  fob  Mass. 

For  larger  horizontals,  white  q  s  oak,  65c  fob  Mass, 
PLEXIFOLD    PARTITIONS:— For    Flexifold    apright    parti- 
tions: 

In  yp,  65c  fob  Mass. 

In  plain  oak,  ash,  75c  fob  Mass. 

In  q  s  w  oak,  80c  fob  Mass. 

These  Massachusetts  partitions  include  all  hardware  and 
are  oil  finished.  Labor  erecting  from  $15  to  $25  per  opening. 
Add  freight,  hauling,  etc. 

COVERING  OF  STUDS:— Nails  are  included.  If  sheeting, 
shiplap  or  flooring  is  put  on  at  an  angle  from  sill  to  wall- 
plate  instead  of  level,  add  as  noted  per  sq.  For  figures  on 
other  material,  metal  lath,  flooring,  shingles,  etc,  see  Part  Two. 


26  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Grade 

Description                      Per  1000 

Quantity 
laid  per  day 

Cost 
per  sq 

Cents 

No. 

1 

WP  Sheeting..  .  =  

$40 

1000 

.$5.45 

12 

No. 

2 

WP  Sheeting  

35 

1000 

4.85 

12 

No. 

3 

WP  Sheeting  

29 

1000 

4.17 

12 

No. 

1 

WPShiplap.. 

40 

1000 

5.63 

12 

No. 

2  WPShiplap  

35 

1000 

5.03 

12 

No. 

3 

WPShiplap  

29 

1000 

4.32 

12 

No. 

1 

YP  Sheeting  

27 

950 

4.00 

12 

No. 

2 

YP  Sheeting  

25 

900 

3.80 

12 

No. 

1 

YP  Shiplap  

27 

900 

4.10 

12 

No. 

2 

YP  Shiplap  

25 

900 

3.87 

12 

For  WP  on  angle  add  

600 

1.20 

YP  on  angle  add  

550 

1.30 

A 

YP  1x6",  51  face,  T  and  G  .  . 

35 

3  sqs 

6.53 

12 

B 
C 

YP  fx6",  51  face,  T  and  G.  . 
YP  £x6",  face,  T  and  G  .... 

33 
30 

3  sqs 
3  sqs 

6.29 
5.93 

12 
12 

For  I"x6"  YP  on  angle  add  . 

2  sqs 

1.50 

12 

C 

Flat  grain  YP  £"x4"  T  and  G 

30 

2^  sqs 

6.65 

13 

No. 

1 

WP  siding  6"... 

36 

4  sqs 

6.50 

14 

No. 

2 

WP  siding  6"  

34 

4  sqs 

6.22 

14 

No. 

1 

WP  siding  4"  

36 

2  sqs 

8.80 

15 

No. 

2 

WP  siding  4"  

34 

2  sqs 

8.50 

15 

A 

YP  Siding  4"  

22 

2  sqs 

6.60 

15 

No. 

RCsiding  4"  

32 

2  sqs 

8.10 

15 

No. 

RW  siding  4"  

32 

2  sqs 

8.10 

15 

No. 

OF  siding  

28 

2  sqs 

7.50 

15 

No. 

NP4"  

26 

2  sqs 

7.50 

15 

No. 

Drop  siding  YP,  51  face.  . 

32 

900 

4.86 

12 

Shingles,  6  to  2"  (900  to  sq) 

3.75 

2  sqs 

6.77 

90 

Shingles,  5  to  2"  (900  to  sq) 

4.25 

2  sqs 

7.22 

90 

Shingles,    fancy    cut    (900 

to  sq)  

5.00 

2  sqs 

7.90 

90 

Shingles  Dipped,  add  extra 

3.00 

Ceiling  (one  side)  YP  f  x4".  . 

38 

3  sqs 

7.15 

13 

Paper  

25  to  50 

Plaster  on  wood  lath,  1  side  . 

35 

3.85 

Plaster  on  wood  lath,  2  sides 

35 

7.70 

Plaster  on  metal  lath,  1  side 

62 

6.85 

Plaster  on  metal  lath,2  sides 

62 

13.70 

Back  Plaster,  on  wood  lath 

•  .  .  . 



2.65 

Ordinary  3-coat   paint,  one 

side  

2.00 

Ordinary  2-coat  paint,  one 

side  

1.65 

For  each  1  cent  of  difference 

in  price  of  plaster  or  paint, 
per  yd,  one  side,  add.  .  .  . 

0.11 

APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  27 

See  Plaster  Chapter  for  Portland  Cement  Covering.  Combi- 
nations can  be  made  from  these  wall  and  partition  tables  as  with 
the  other. 

PITCHED  ROOFS: — We  now  come  to  trouble,  and  plenty  of 
it.  This  is  the  region  of  "  turrets,  towers  and  minarets."  It 
is  all  well  enough  to  draw  them  and  write  about  them,  but 
the  question  that  confronts  the  estimator  is  not  how  well 
or  how  ill  do  they  look,  but  how  much  do  they  cost. 

Let  us  take  a  plain  roof  for  a  standard  and  leave  the  com- 
plicated ones  for  discussion  further  on.  A  roof  22x100'  has 
been  taken  as  a  basis  for  the  following  figures.  A  day's  work 
is  500'  bm.  The  figures  are  for  rafters  only.  If  ties  and  braces 
are  used  add  $1.25  for  light  roofs  per  sq.  The  allowance  at  12" 
centers  is  1  to  each  10";  16,  1  to  12;  18,  1  to  14;  20,  1  to  16; 
24,  1  to  20.  A  liberal  allowance  is  made  for  lumber.  A  roof- 
does  not  require  as  much  as  a  partition  although  the  figures 
used  are  the  same  or  equal  centers. 

CEILING  JOISTS  are  not  included. 

COST  OF   ROOFS   PER   SQ 

2x4  list:  Lumber,  $24 

Amount  Cost  Amount  Cost 

Centers  Quantity  per  day  persq  Cents     Centers  Quantity  per  day  persq/Cent» 

12"       1775      500  S3. 00      9  20"      1115      500  $1.90      5 

16"       1482      500     2.51      7  24"        895      500     1.52      4 

18"      1276      500     2.16      6 

For  2x6,  add  50%  to  the  price  of  2x4;  for  2x8,  dble  2x4, 
and  add  at  rate  of  about  $2  extra  on  the  lumber  price;  for 
2x10  take  2^  times  the  cost  of  a  2x4,  and  add  cents  in  last 
col  for  difference  in  lumber. 

Thus,  a  2x4,  16"  centers,  is  $2.51;  a  2x6,  $3.77;  a  2x8,  at 
$26  lumber— $2.51  plus  14cx2=$5.30;  a  2x10  with  lumber 
at  $28  =,  for  16"  centers,  $2.51  plus  4  (for  the  $4  difference  in 
price)  x7cx2i^$6.98. 

If  list  is  used  on  a  brick  building  add  wall  plate  at  $2  per  sq. 

I  recently  made  out  some  bills  of  material  for  small  pas- 
senger-stations with  the  usual  hips  and  valleys.  At  the  same 
rate  for  labor,  and  material  at  $20,  No.  1  was  3.70;  2,  $4;  3, 
$4.56;  while  the  plain  list  on  same  size  and  distance — 2x6, 


28  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

16"  centers— is  $3.77.  Another  at  2x4,  16",  was  $2.63;  the 
plain  list  is  $2.51.  This  is  an  illustration  of  the  difference 
between  a  plain  roof  and  one  with  hips  and  valleys,  although 
by  no  means  complicated.  One  of  the  worst  roofs  I  have 
ever  seen — No.  11 — ran  to  $6  for  2x6,  16"  centers.  No  covering 
included. 

As  to  the  "  gingerbread "  kind,  there  is  only  one  exact, 
theoretical  way  to  estimate  them,  and  that  is  to  take  off  each 
piece  of  lumber  in  a  building  where  no  two  pieces  are  the 
same  length,  and  make  a  liberal  allowance  for  waste,  labor, 
and  mistakes.  I  have  done  it  in  this  manner  so  often  that 
it  is  a  familiar  process,  and  a  rather  discouraging  way  of 
working.  There  is  something  wrong  with  the  whole  system  of 
contracting  when  such  a  method  is  necessary.  The  square 
•method  ought  to  be  sufficient,  and  the  profit  should  be  large 
enough  to  cover  any  errors  that  are  not  serious. 

Another  way  is  described  in  Chapter  X.  Using  the  quantities 
given  in  the  2x4  list  we  have  to  each  sq  in  bm  as  follows: 

A  2X4  LIST   FOR   BM   TO  SQ  OF   ROOF 

12  centers 81  bm      20  centers '.51  bm 

16  centers 68  bm      24  centers 41  bm 

18  centers 58  bm 

The  above  table  includes  rafters  only,  at  such  an  allowance 
of  extras  as  is  sufficient  for  all  but  the  worst  roofs,  for  hips, 
valleys,  etc.  But  no  ties  are  allowed. 

For  2x6  mult  by  1|;  for  2x8,  by  2,  etc.  Note  that  No.  11 
ran  to  $6. 

COVERING  OF  AVERAGE  ROOFS  PER  SQ 

Sheeting  and  Shiplap,  $27 .  $4 . 30  Slate,  Peach  Bottom ,  Pa .  $12 . 50 

2"  plank  S.IS. IE,  $26 7 . 85  Slate,  Black  Bangor,  Pa. .   1 1 . 00 

2"  YP  flooring,  $26 8.40  Slate,  Sea  Green 9.50 

|x6"  Y.P  flooring,  $35 ....   6 . 08  Slate,  Unfading  Green. . .    10 . 50 

f  x6"  YP  flooring,  $30 5 . 50  Slate,  Slatington,  Pa 9.00 

Shingles  6  to  2,  $3.75 5.65  Slate,  Purple 11.00 

Shingles  5  to  2,  $4.25 6.11  Slate,  Red 16.00 

Shingles,  dipping,  extra ...  3 . 00  Interlocking  Tile 22 . 00 

Shingles,  Asbestos,  plain . .  1 1 . 00  Shingle  Tile 17 . 00 

Slate,  Brownville,  Me 14 . 50  Copper 30  to  35 .00 

Slate,  Monson,  Me 14 . 50  I.  C.  Old  Style  Tin 10 .00 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  29 

Covering  of  Average  Roofs  per  Sq— Continued 

I  X  Old  Style  Tin $12.00      Gravel  Roof $4.50 

I  C  Common  Tin 8.00      Ready  Roofing 3.75 

I  X  Common  Tin 9.00      Carey  Roofing. 4.00 

No.  26  Galv.  Iron 9 . 00      Elaterite  Roofing 4 . 00 

Ruberoid  Rooting 3 . 50 

PROFIT: — Slate,  tile,  tin,  and  gravel  include  profit. 
Slate  and  tile  include  paper;   tile  includes  strips. 
INCREASE. — On  small  cut  up  roofs  the  price  of  slate  or  tile 
may  be  increased  10  to  20%. 

FOR  SHOP  ROOFS,  as  on  No.  7,  etc.,  6"xl4"  purlins  about 
5'-0"  centers,  2"  T  and  G  yp  flooring,  16c  per  sq  ft  complete, 
but  no  steel  trusses  or  gravel  roof. 

SHOP  LANTERNS,  steel  construction,  glass  roofs,  sash  on 
sides,  as  shown  on  Nos.  7,  8,  13,  14,  $20  per  If  extra  as  com- 
pared with  flat  roofs. 

TRUSSES 

The  Howe  Truss  described  in  Chap.  X,  60'  long  by  6'  or 
7'  high,  cost  $275,  set  in  place. 

Another  dbl  slope,  pitched  roof,   80'  span,   24'   rise,   wood, 
$350,  set.  -^ 

A  dbl  slope,  pitched  roof,  50'  span,  16'  high,  extra  heavy 
steel  to  support  floor  and  roof,  $550,  not  set;  setting,  $60. 

For    53'  span,  steel,  shop,  4  to  7'  deep,  $300  set. 

For  175'  span,  steel,  shop,  4  to  T  deep,  $875  set. 

For    80'  span,  steel,  shop,  4  to  7'  deep,  $550  set. 

For  105'  span,  steel,  shop,  4  to  7'  deep,  $765  set. 

For  125'  span,  steel,  high  pitch,  heavy  load,  $1,870  set. 
DORMERS: — For     dbl     dormer     window,     without     balcony, 
with  single  slope  shingle  roof,  $100  extra.    With  pitched  roof 
and  gable,  $125.     For  a  common  single  dormer,  shingle  roof, 
$75. 

FURRING  PER  SQ 
Centers         Size  Place  Price       Centers      Size          Place         Price 

16"         1x2          Walls          $2.00        12"      1x2       Walls      $2.60 

16"         1x2        Ceilings  .90       12"       1x2     Ceilings       1.10 

13"         1x2  Interlocking  tile  1.00      16"       2x2     Ceilings       1.30 

12';         2x2        Ceilings          1.70       16"       2x2      Walls        2.70 

12"         2x2         Walls  3.40 


30  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

PLATFORMS: — Warehouses  of  all  kinds  and  depots  usually 
have  platforms  about  4'-6"  above  grade.  For  plank  footings, 
12"xl2"  uprights  and  girders,  braces,  nails  and  bolts,  allow 
$18.50  per  sq.  For  3x12  joists,  12"  centers,  $8  per  sq;  for  3" 
plank  on  top  and  2"  to  enclose  front,  $11.  per  sq.  With 
lumber  at  $20  make  the  complete  figure  at  39c  per  sq  ft,  the 
extra  allowance  being  for  bridging,  inclines,  stairs,  etc.  For 
each  dollar  extra  on  the  price  of  lumber,  allow  l£c  per  sq  ft. 
Thus,  at  $24,  the  complete  cost  would  be  45c  for  the  heaviest 
style  of  platform.  But  sufficiently  strong  platform  of  lighter 
construction  can  be  built  for  25c — say  3x10  joists  24"  centers, 
and  2"  top:  and  for  cedar  pile  heads,  6'  centers,  8x10  sills  8' 
c  to  c  3x10  joists  16"  c  3x10  covering  with  lumber  at  $19, 
a  western  engineer  gives  me  his  cost  at  26c. 

On  ground  at  $23  with  6x8  sleepers  4'  centers,  3"  covering, 
14c;  2"  covering,  lOc.  For  other  sizes,  spacing  of  joists  and 
covering,  see  under  "  Basement  Sleepers  and  Covering." 
Platform  may  require  more  labor  than  basement  floors,  owing 
to  frost,  grade,  etc,  and  extra  allowance  must  be  made  if 
required.  The  foregoing  figures  cover  average  work. 

ROOF: — A  plain  roof  covered  with  gravel  may  be  put  over 
platforms  for  30c  per  sq  ft.  Long,  plain  umbrella-sheds  with 
wood  posts,  wood  framework,  gravel  roof,  gutters,  but  no 
paving,  48c  per  sq  ft. 

WOOD  FENCES:— In  most  cities  they  are  limited  to  8'  high, 
for  in  the  old  days  "  spite  fences  "  sometimes  soared  higher 
than  the  shingles. 

With  8"  cedar  posts,  10'  long,  about  6c  per  If,  4  rails  in 
height,  close-sheeted,  without  paint  or  gates  they  are  worth 
45  to  50c  per  If.  Mineral  paint  at  5c  to  6c  per  sq  yd  per  coat 
Is  close  enough.  With  1  coat  of  paint  55  to  60c.  Large  dbl 
wagon  gates  for  such  fences  run  from  $30  to  $40  hung.  The 
cost  of  boring  post  holes  for  lower  fences  is  the  same.  For 
a  4'  fence,  unpainted,  25  to  30c  per  If.  It  is  well  to  remember 
that  paint  sometimes  goes  on  1  side,  sometimes  on  both. 
PICKET  FENCES: — There  are  so  many  different  kinds  that 
we  must  be  content  with  the  fair  average  of  65c  per  If, 
painted,  for  a  reasonable  number  of  ft;  a  short  fence  might 
cost  twice  as  much., 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  31 

TIN   AND   GALVANIZED   IRON 

Cornices  of  average  design,  2c  per  in  of  width  per  ft,  and 
dentils,  brackets,  etc,  extra.  Gutters,  15  to  35c;  downspouts, 
20  to  30c;  7"  flashing,  8c;  14",  16c;  14"  valleys,  12c;  20",  15c. 

Tin  roofing,  IX,  $10  per  sq;  skylights,  60c  per  sq  ft;  large 
skylights  like  those  on  No.  7,  of  many  styles,  50c  per  sq  ft 
if  copper  caps;  if  all  galv.  iron,  32c,  unpainted. 

PLASTER 

Allow  for  metal  lath  and  3-coat,  white  finish  62c;  for  wood 
lath  and  same  finish  35c;  sand  finish  is  worth  from  3  to  5c 
more  than  white  coat. 

MILLWORK 

After  the  walls  are  up,  the  roof  on  and  the  building 
plastered,  we  come  to  millwork.  Only  a  general  idea  can 
be  given  here  of  this;  and  for  an  approximate  figure  it  is 
better  to  give  openings  complete  than  millwork  alone.  Labor, 
paint,  hardware,  glass,  stone  sill  and  lintel,  are  therefore  in- 
cluded. 

DOORS: — Outside  common  glass  door,  3x7xlf  for  brick,  $25; 
for  frame,  $19.  Inside  door,  2-8x7xlf,  $13.  Add  $6  if  a  tran- 
som is  used  in  any  of  these  doors.  The  price  of  an  outside 
door  may  run  up  to  $100,  and  beyond.  A  w  p  door  at  $8  with 
hardware  at  $3  is  allowed.  An  ordinary  sliding  door  painted, 
$35;  hardwood,  $50  to  $100. 

A  better  way  to  get  the  cost  of  a  door  is  to  turn  to  the 
Chicago  list  in  chapter  on  "  Millwork,"  pick  out  such  a  door 
as  you  think  fitted  for  your  purpose — front  or  inside,  hard- 
wood or  pine — and  then  add  jambs  as  listed,  according  to 
style  and  kind  of  wood,  allow  hardware  at  $1.50  for  an  in- 
side door,  and  $5  for  an  outside, — and  $10  is  too  little  on 
some  kinds — labor,  $3  inside,  $6  outside,  paint,  $2  and  $4, 
and  add  transom  if  any. 

WINDOWS: — There  is  no  deduction  made  for  brick  or 
plaster,  as  these  are  attended  to  in  the  mason's  part.  Sash 
are  If  thick  with  D  S  glass;  3  coats  of  paint;  stone  sills;  a 
fair  quantity  of  hardware. 


32  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For  an  opening  about  3x7-6,  brick,  $16.50;  frame,  $12.50; 
opening,  2-6x6-6,  brick,  $14.50;  frame,  $10.50.  No  allowance 
is  made  for  blinds. 

This  price  might  have  to  be  raised  50%  for  some  kinds  of 
windows,  and  that  without  going  into  fine  work.  See  "Mill- 
work  "  for  price  by  sq  ft,  etc. 

BASE: — For  yp,  20c  per  If  with  grounds  and  paint;  for  hard- 
wood, 30c. 

WAINSCOTING:— Paneled  and  painted  yp  with  grounds,  35c 

per  sq  ft;  f  m  and  b,  14c;  pan  and  hard  oil  finished  oak  with 

grounds,  50c;  m  and  b,  17c. 

CHAIR  RAIL:— Oak,  15c;  pine,  9c  per  If. 

PICTURE  MOLD:— Oak,  7;  pine,  5c. 

STAIRS: — Pine,   set  complete,   $3.50   per  step;    oak,   $6.    For 

special  work  these  prices  might  be  doubled.    Basement  plank, 

with  risers,  $2. 

STORE  FRONTS: — On  ordinary  fronts  filled  with  plate  glass, 

with  dbl  doors  and  transoms,  sash  below  window  for  cellar, 

counter-shelf,  paint,  hardware,  and  labor  complete,  $1.50  per 

sq  ft.    No  iron  or  steel  included.     From  this  price  we  might 

easily  go  to  $5. 

CASES: — An  approximate  figure  may  sometimes  be  of  value: 

For  a   case   divided   into  holes   18"    sq   allow   20c   per   sq   ft 

at  12"  deep;  and  33c  at  24"  deep.    With  holes  3  ft  sq,  15c  for 

12",  and  22c  for  24".     A  back  of  f  ceiling  is  allowed  in  both 

cases;  if  left  off,  deduct  7c  per  sq  ft.     Lumber  is  put  at  $40, 

labor,  $50.     Less  than  this  may  often  be  sufficient,  but  25% 

more  might  be   wasted  on   labor.     Face  measure,   not  shelf 

measure,  is  taken.     Thus,  a  case  to  fill  the  end  of  a  room 

10'x20',  or  200  sq  ft,  would  cost,  at  18"  holes  12"  deep,  $40. 

Add  profit  or  percentage  required.     No  paint. 

The  above  figures  may  be  supplemented  by  the  following 
from  actual  work  done: 

A  case  18'xl3'-6"  high,  33"  deep  below  counter  shelf,  and 
16"  above  was  set  in  building,  but  not  oiled  for  $165,  or  68c 
per  sq  ft  of  frontage. 

All  the  front  was  covered  with  sliding  doors,  one  below 
countershelf,  two  in  hight  above.  On  a  1"  basis  there  were 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  33 

about  1,400  of  lumber  including  back.  Below  counter  were 
shelves  about  12"  apart;  above  were  pigeon  holes  6"xll". 

Another  9'-8"x9'-6"x3'-2"  deep,  divided  into  420  pigeon  holes, 
was  set  in  place  for  $197,  47c  per  hole,  or  $2.15  per  sq  ft.  The 
smallness  of  the  holes  and  the  extra  depth  account  for  high 
price,  even  although  doors  were  not  used. 

SLIDING  LADDERS  for  such  high  cases  cost  about  $15  with 
track. 

CASES  of  £  material  from  12  to  16"  deep  with  doors,  60c  per 
sq  ft  of  face  surface;  of  |  stuff  with  pigeon  holes  about  4x8", 
as  in  ticket-cases,  etc,  25c  per  opening. 

A  case  2'-9"  by  7-9x18-0,  filled  with  drawers,  cost  $300,,  or 
$2.15  per  sq  ft. 

REVOLVING  DOORS: — Front  doors  from  $300  up;  pantry 
windows,  $85  up;  both  fob  New  York. 

CORNICE  ON  FRAME  BUILDINGS:— A  plain  cornice  with- 
out brackets,  painted,  and  finished,  runs  to  50c  per  If.  From 
that  we  might  go  to  $1.50,  and  still  not  be  so  very  extrava- 
gant. For  30"  projection,  $1.20  or  4c  per  inch.  Brackets  cost 
from  15c  to  $2. 

Cornice  boards,  ridges  and  plain  lumber  may  at  this  writ- 
ing be  put  in,  if  of  pine,  at  $100  per  M  B.  M.  in  place. 

PAINT 

For  plain  2-coat  work,  allow  15c;  3-coat,  20c;  for  pine,  plain 
oil  finish,  25c;  rubbed  down,  35c;  hardwood,  35c;  rubbed 
down,  50c.  Sometimes  $1  is  not  enough  for  hardwood  per  yd. 

PERCENTAGES 

I  have  taken  22  frame  buildings  of  all  sizes  and  styles,  and 
from  actual  bids  put  in  or  work  done,  have  made  out  the 
following  average  percentages.  I  meant  to  take  more  as  a 
basis,  but  found  that  the  result  would  have  been  practically 
the  same  with  44  as  with  22.  Some  of  the  buildings  were 
let  when  prices  were  high,  and  some  when  they  were  low, 
so  that  a  fair  average  is  obtained.  Of  course,  a  little  judg- 
ment is  required  to  get  good  results  from  the  tables  for  an 
approximate  estimate, — on  a  church,  for  example,  the  brick- 


34  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

work  is  23  and  the  millwork  16;  on  certain  flats  with  hard- 
wood finish,  the  figures  are  reversed.  Coal-sheds,  fences,  side- 
walks, furnaces,  mantels,  and  such  extra  items  are  not  in- 
cluded. The  average  in  the  brick  buildings  have  been  taken 
from  a  list  of  36.  They  range  in  price  from  $5,000  to 
$50,000.  All  kinds  are  listed — private  residences,  stores, 
flats,  warehouses,  schools,  hospitals,  railway  stations  and 
stables.  Heating  is  not  included. 

It  is  not  always  easy  for  architects,  engineers,  and  others, 
who  have  to  figure  carpenter  work  to  get  at  the  labor.  The 
lumber  and  plain  millwork  are  often  estimated  fairly  well, 
and  then  anywhere  from  25  to  60%  of  the  total  taken  for 
labor.  The  following  lists  of  different  classes  of  buildings 
will  give  a  better  idea  of  what  the  figures  should  be. 


Class  of  Work 

Excavation,  brick  and  cut  stone 
Plaster  

Frame 
Buildings 

15.8 
8  3 

Brick 
Buildings 
41.0 
5  6 

Lumber   

19  3 

11  0 

Millwork  and  Glass         .      ... 

20  6 

12  0 

Carpenter  Labor   

17  9 

9  0 

Hardware   

3  5 

2  5 

Tin  and  Galvanized  Iron     .... 

23 

3  0 

Plumbing  and  Gas-fitting   .  . 

6  8 

4  3 

Paint      

5  5 

3  4 

Iron  and  Steel  

5  6 

Roofing    . 

2.6 

100.0  100.0 

It  will  be  observed  that  some  of  the  items  under  "brick** 
are  lower  than  the  same  items  under  "  frame."  Of  course, 
the  high  percentage  of  mason  work  necessarily  reduces  the 
other  figures,  but  part  of  the  difference  is  due  to  the  fact  that 
warehouses  are  listed,  and  the  inside  finish  is  thus  reduced. 
The  other  lists  will  give  a  better  percentage,  but  it  is  well 
to  take  a  general  average  of  all  kinds  of  buildings,  and  let 
the  architect  or  contractor  make  an  allowance  for  any 
departure  from  a  normal  type. 

The  tables  may  be  used  to  estimate  the  cost  of  enclosing  a 
building.  By  leaving  out  part  of  the  millwork,  paint,  labor, 
hardware,  etc,  a  fair  idea  may  be  obtained;  and  a  certain 
item  being  known  the  value  of  the  complete  building  may  be 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  35 

found.  Hardware  at  $350  means  a  $10,000  frame  house,  al- 
though this  is  figuring  the  wrong  way — from  the  small  to 
the  large.  'j,  '. 

UNIFORMITY:— In  the  brick  list  there  are  17  buildings,  or 
about  half,  with  iron  and  steel — for  columns,  beams,  etc. 
The  percentage  varies  more  in  this  item  than  in  any  other: 
2,  7,  12,  3,  6.5,  5,  9,  7,  7,  4,  2.5,  1.5,  8,  4,  2,  7,  8.  Brick  and 
stone  run  steadily  from  38  to  50  with  most  buildings  about 
44;  but  one  house  is  only  25,  as  the  inside  finish,  plumbing, 
etc,  is  of  a  superior  quality.  The  millwork  on  the  same 
building  is  25.  Carpenter  labor,  paint,  hardware,  plumbing, 
plaster,  and  tin,  do  not  vary  much,  and  when  they  do  take  a 
bound  the  reason  is  generally  clear,  so  that  in  making  an 
approximate  estimate  variations  from  what  may  be  taken 
as  a  standard  can  easily  be  noted. 

There  is  even  less  variation  on  frame  than  on  brick  build- 
ings. Lumber,  millwork,  and  brick,  keep  remarkably  steady 
in  the  same  class. 

A  PLAIN  BUILDING:— When  selecting  the  frame  buildings 
I  ran  across  one  that  could  not  be  listed  as  there  was  no 
foundation  or  inside  finish  except  that  the  walls  and  ceilings 
were  sheeted  and  a  floor  laid.  It  may  be  taken  as  a  type  of 
plain  construction.  It  is  30'-6"  by  150',  2  stories  high,  with 
2x6  studs  and  rafters  covered  respectively  with  drop  siding, 
sheeting  and  shingles.  The  percentages  are:  Lumber,  56; 
millwork,  10.5;  iron  and  hardware,  4.5;  carpenter  labor,  21; 
tin,  3.5;  paint,  4.5. 

ON  No.  3: — Another  building  not  listed  owing  to  partial  fire- 
proofing  is  No.  3.  The  2  fronts  are  built  of  a  hard  Wyo. 
pink  stone.  The  stone  is  backed  with  brick,  and  the  rear 
walls  are  of  brick.  Joists  3x14  rest  on  2  lines  of  iron  cols  and 
steel  I  beams.  The  walls  and  ceilings  are  lined  with  fire- 
proofing,  and  the  partitions  are  built  of  hollow  tile.  Half  the 
finish  is  oak,  and  the  other  half  yp.  Without  marble,  ele- 
vators, heating,  plumbing,  electric  work,  and  architect's  per- 
centage, the  cost  was  $125,000.  The  bids  were  read  in  the 
presence  of  the  contractors  so  that  the  cost  is  well  enough 
known,  as  indeed  that  of  most  buildings  is  among  the  elect. 
The  building  was  publicly  sold  and  the  daily  newspapers. 


36 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


gave  the   price   but  not  the  percentages, 
tract,  and  here  are  the  figures: 


We  got  the   con- 


Excavation  and  Brick. .  28 . 15 

Stone 18.34 

Steel  and  Iron 14 . 56 

Lumber 4.22 

Carpenter  Labor 4 . 55 

Mill  work  and  Glass ...  1 1 . 63 

Fire-Proofing 9 . 02 


Plaster 3.36 

Tin  and  Copper 1 .65 

Gas-fitting 

Gravel  Roof 

Hardware .... 


.60 
.20 
1.52 
Painting 2 . 20 


100.00 


BRICK    BUILDINGS 


The  following  list  is  taken  from  5  good  brick  houses. 
4  has  gas  but  not  plumbing: 


No. 


a 

§3 
I® 

*8 

i 

2 

•d 

fl   03 

H-  1 

r^ 

•0 

a 

1 

>*} 
gj* 

8 

u 

1 

§  ^ 

d 

& 

|o 

1 

e« 

> 

1 

K 

^"rt 

§ 

3 

a 

9  "^ 

^"d 

s 

«J  § 

2 

0 

WPQ 

PH 

S  03 

h5 

O>-3 

PH 

W 

HM 

S  cS 

o 

GCM 

RESIDENCES 

$38,000 

51.8 

8.3 

13.0 

7.1 

8.3 

3 

3 

5  5 

18,600 

36.5 

6 

21.8 

13 

10 

4  7 

3 

5 

19,500 

35.2 

5  ?, 

19.1 

12 

11.3 

P  2 

3  5 

4  5 

8,200 

25 

5 

25 

14 

10 

6 

2.5 

2.5 

5 

24400 

34.4 

5  4 

19.5 

12  7 

10 

5 

3  ^ 

5  'i 

1 

s 

Average 

36.58 

5.98 

19.68 

11.76 

9.92 

5.58 

3.1 

4.6 

WAREHOUSES 


$34,000 
14,000 
17,000 
26,000 
12,000 
Average 
$15,000 
without  i 

53.3 
50 
44.9 
51.5 
50 
50 

nason 

ry 

4.1 
5 
12.5 
6.5 
8 
7.2 
19.5 

21.9 
21.1 
17.5 
17 
14.5 
18.4 
22.4 

9.2 
10 
10 
9 
8.5 
9.3 
19 

1 
2.5 
2.3 
2.5 
3 
2.3 
2.4 

2 
2 
2.8 
2.5 
2.5 
2.4 
3.7 

.3 
3 
1.2 
2 
2.5 
1.8 
3.6 

7.2 
2 
6  8 

1 
4.4 
2 
1 
1 
1.9 

1.5 
3 

16.4 

•• 

6.5 
7 
5.9 
19 

STORES  AND   FLATS 


$36,000 

36.9 

6 

15 

13.8 

10.2 

3.5 

2.8 

5.8 

.  . 

4 

2 

34,000 

40.1 

6.5 

18.8 

1    .2 

9.7 

5.9 

2.2 

2.3 

.  .  . 

.  . 

1.3 

1 

44,500 

32.2 

6.6 

20 

14.1 

12 

6 

3 

5.1 

.  . 

. 

.  .  . 

1 

29,000 

36 

8 

20 

7.5 

9 

3.5 

3 

5.5 

4.5 

3 

.  .  . 

11,000 

25 

6 

20 

12.5 

9 

4 

2 

3 

4.5 

12 

2 

12,500  J38 

7 

12 

10 

9 

6.5 

2.5 

4 

4 

7 

.  .  . 

12,000  |40 

5 

13 

10 

10 

3 

2 

8 

4 

5 

Average  135.4 

6.4 

17 

11.4 

9.8 

4.6    2.5 

4.8 

4.2 

'.'.  5.4 

1.5 

APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING 


37 


BRICK  BUILDINGS— Continued 


j 

Excavation  1 

Br'k&  Stone 

I 

Millwork 
and  Glass 

Lumber 

Carpenter 
Labor 

43 

d 
'3 

OH 

Hardware 

Tin  and 

Slate 

to 

s.s 

^ 

11 

d 
2 

H-  1 

1 

1 

"oJ  0 

-22 

00  H? 

iGravelRoof  II 

I  3 

SCHOOLS 


Cost  ran 
from 
15,000  to 
45,000; 
most 
from 
22,000  to 
45,000 
8  and  16 
rooms 

Average 

46 
48 
41 
45 
49 
45 
45 
42 
49 
50.4 
54.6 
46.8 

6 
6 
7 
6 
6.5 
6 
6 
6 
5 
5.8 
4.8 
5.9 

12 
9 
11 
11 
11.6 
10 
10 
12 
9.5 
12 
9.2 
10.7 

10.5 
10 
15 
10.5 
11.6 
11 
11 
12 
11 
10.3 
12.4 
11.4 

9 
9.5 
13 
10 
9.7 
10 
10 
11 
8 
9.6 
11 
10.1 

4.5 
3.5 
5 
4 
4.6 
3 
3 
5 
3 
4.3 
3.8 
4 

2.5 
2.5 
3 
2 
2 
3 
3 
3 
2 
2.2 
2.1 
2.5 

4.5 
3 
2 
4.5 
5 
3 
3 
2 
5 
5.4 
2.1 
3.6 

5 
3.5 
3 
4 

Slate 
5 

4 
4 
7 
2.5 

5 
5 

+•» 

2 

3 

4.1 

REMARKS: — In  No.  3  of  the  "Warehouse"  list  a  large  plate- 
glass  front  raises  the  millwork  and  reduces  the  masonry;  in 
No.  2  the  gravel  roof  has  a  high  percentage,  hut  the  building 
is  low,  and  the  cost  of  a  roof  one  story  from  the  ground  is, 
for  our  purpose,  the  same  as  for  ten.  In  one  building  the 
percentage  is  given  without  masonry. 

VARIATION:— Under  "Stores  and  Flats"  it  will  be  observed 
that  the  average  line  foots  up  103  instead  of  100.  This  is 
owing  to  dividing  steel  and  iron,  gravel  roof,  and  plumbing 
by  the  number  of  buildings  instead  of  by  7.  It  is  interesting 
to  notice  how  closely  the  percentages  run.  A  reasonable 
profit  being  allowed,  one  might  almost  be  safe  in  estimating 
the  hardware  in  a  building  and  signing  a  contract  based 
upon  the  proportions  in  a  table.  Judging  from  bids  I  have 
heard  of  and  read,  there  be  those  who  do  not  build  upon  SO 
sure  a  foundation. 


MANUFACTURING   BUILDINGS 

We  live  in  an  age  of  machinery;  and  the  house  that  held 
the  old  anvil  under  that  spreading  chestnut  tree  is  far  too 
small  for  our  requirements.  A  class  of  buildings  has  arisen 


38  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

tnat  belong,  like  the  skyscraper,  to  the  American  style  of 
architecture..  Like  the  skyscraper  also  they  belong  rather  to 
the  engineer  than  to  the  architect.  The  latter  is  merely  called 
to  hang  a  curtain  over  the  framework  to  keep  the  cold  and 
rain  out — and  the  curtain  in  some  of  them  is  of  ex 
metal  and  concrete  only  2"  thick.  In  1901-2  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  making  the  estimates  for  three  of  the  latest  and  best 
specimens, — Nos.  7,  8,  and  14.  Since  then  I  have  made 
estimates  on  many  others. 

These  buildings  are  now  to  be  found  all  over  the  country 
for  electric-light  works,  locomotive-shops,  machine-shops, 
foundries,  steel  works,  and  rolling-mills,  tin-plate  works, 
boiler-shops,  bridge-building,  and  ship-building  establishments, 
pipe-foundries,  and  manufacturing  plants  of  all  kinds,  which 
are  equipped  with  electric  traveling-cranes  that  lift  anything 
from  120  Ibs  to  120  tons. 

PERCENTAGES: — The  following  percentages  are  from  the 
under  side  of  the  water-table.  Floors  are  included.  It  is 
seldom  that  two  foundations  are  alike,  and  the  only  safe 
criterion  is  from  the  floor  line  up.  Skylights  cover  from  £  to 
$  of  the  roof  surf.  No.  8  is  150x500;  No.  7,  150x400,  No.  14, 
150x310.  Machine  foundations,  tracks,  heating,  and  light- 
ing are  not  included.  Extra  cross  walls  account  for  the  high 
rate  of  the  brickwork  in  No.  8,  and  the  cheap  lumber  and  less 
of  it  in  proportion,  on  account  of  leaving  out  gallery,  etc, 
makes  the  difference  in  that  item. 

No.  8     No.  7     No.   14 

Brick   16.4         10.2         13.3 

Cut  Stone 1.2  1.1  1.5 

Lumber  6.2         10.0  6.4 

Millwork  and  Glass   5.5  6.0  6.0 

Carpenter  Labor  4.1  5.3  4.0 

Gravel  Roof   1.7  1.4  1.7 

Skylights  and  Glass    8.0          9.5         10.6 

Tin,  Copper.  Gal.  Iron 1.1  1.1          1.5 

Steel  Lintels  for  Doors  and 
Windows,  and  Hardware.       5.2  5.0          7.0 

Painting    2.4          2.3  1.9 

Steam,    Water,    and    Power 

Piping   3.2  3.1  2.0 

Structural  Steel  45.0        45.0        44.1 

100.0       100.0       100.0 


APPROXIMATE     ESTIMATING  39 

COLD-WATER  PAINTING  is  not  included:   see  Chap.  XVII. 

RELATIVE  COST  OF   BRICK  AND  GLASS 

In  general  glass  costs  twice  as  much  as  brick.  In  the  pre- 
liminary study  of  a  building  it  is  often  desirable  to  know 
how  the  total  cost  is  affected  by  putting  in  or  leaving  out 
windows  or  doors. 

In  large  manufacturing  buildings  with  unplastered  walls, 
where  dbl  and  trpl  windows  or  wide  doors  take  up  from 
£  to  |  the  space,  such  as  No.  7,  common  brick  is  to  glass  as 
6  to  15  in  13"  walls;  and  as  1  to  2  in  17".  In  the  one  case  we 
have  only  the  brick  to  consider;  in  the  other,  frames,  sash, 
glass,  labor,  paint,  hardware,  stone  sills,  and  steel  lintels. 

For  the  average  single  window  with  sills  and  lintels  in  a 
13"  wall,  11  to  25;  in  17",  3  to  5. 

In  ordinary  buildings  with  openings  about  3x7,  glass  costs 
twice  as  much,  and  not  only  so,  but  the  mason  often  forgets 
to  deduct  the  brick  and  both  prices  go  in.  Here,  in  addition 
to  the  other  items,  we  have  jamb  linings  and  inside  finish. 
Allow  11  to  28  in  13",  and  1  to  2  in  17". 

Sash  are  estimated  If,  glass,  D.  S.,  paint  20c  which  allows 
3  coats,  brick  at  $11  wall  measure,  steel  lintels  in  place,  $85 
a  ton,  which  is  enough  in  ordinary  times. 

In  frame  buildings  there  is  practically  no  deduction  made 
for  studs,  sheeting,  and  siding,  so  that  glass  is  an  extra. 

RELATIVE  COST  OF   BRICK  AND   FRAME 

On  one  small  office  building,  30x70,  two  stories,  brick  was 
19%  more  than  frame.  On  a  house  24x30,  brick  to  top  of 
second  story  but  gables  of  frame,  8%  extra.  This  figure 
might  be  easily  increased  to  15  by  using  a  fine  pressed  brick, 
and  ornamental  work. 

There  is  bound  to  be  an  increase  in  the  price  of  lumber  in 
the  future,  so  that  the  difference  between  the  two  will  be 
lowered.  See  Chap.  XXVI. 

The  Bureau  of  Buildings,  Borough  of  the  Bronx,  New  York, 
estimates  the  difference  in  ordinary  sized  buildings  at  18  per 
cent. 


PAET  TWO 

DETAILED  ESTIMATING 
CHAPTEE  I 

EXCAVATION   AND  FILLING 

The  clearing  of  the  site  comes  first.  In  a  prairie  country 
this  is  an  item  that  does  not,  as  a  rule,  confront  the  estimator. 
Trees  are  seldom  seen,  and  if  there  are  any,  they  are  so  small 
as  to  be  negligible.  But  for  a  tree  of,  say,  16"  diam,  allow  2 
men  1£  days  to  cut  down,  trim,  and  take  out  the  root.  One 
day  often  suffices  for  the  ordinary  tree.  In  Wash,  and  Ore. 
with  trees  300'  high  the  problem  is  different. 

Another  day  for  a  couple  of  men  should  ordinarily  be 
enough  to  clean  off  underwood  on  a  lot. 

MEASUREMENT: — Excavation    is   measured    by    amount    of 

material  displaced  in  cy. 

COST: — The  approx  allowance  was  from  15c  to  $1  per  cy  with 

an  average  of  40  and  20c.    It  is  not  easy  to  add  more  without 

knowing  the   local   surroundings.     Actual    figures    on   a   few 

buildings  may  be  given,  however,  to  illustrate  the  different 

conditions. 

On  a  store,  erected  in  1901  in  the  center  of  Omaha,  with 
good,  hard  soil,  the  cost  of  excavating  4,000  cy  was  25c, — the 
haul  was  about  \  mile.  The  1913  price  was  70c. 

On  another,  near  the  first,  the  bids  in  1906  were  45  to  55c 
for  30,000  cy,  with  teams  at  $4  per  day. 

On  a  building  where  12,000  yards  were  excavated  and 
loaded  on  cars  the  cost  was  41c. 

On  a  large  amount  of  building  excavation  in  Idaho  six  bids 
ran  from  30c  to  $1  without  hauling,  so  that  even  experts 
differ.  In  another  western  state  witb.  hard  soil  the  cost  of 
excavation  in  winter  was  $2.75  per  yd. 

On  No.  2  bids  were  received  for  15c,  but  there  was  no  haul 
and  wages  were  lower.  This  figure  will  often  cover  work 
done  outside  of  cities. 

40 


EXCAVATION    AND    FILLING  41 

WINTER: — On  No.  7  the  average  for  many  thousands  of 
yds  was  77c,  but  water  was  struck  a  little  below  the  surf 
and  the  work  was  done  in  winter.  The  difference  between 
winter  and  summer  was  shown  near  the  same  building  when 
more  than  1,500  cy  were  excavated  for  45c.  A  contractor 
has  to  watch  the  thermometer — and  he  is  sometimes  justified 
when  he  refuses  to  stand  by  his  summer  estimate. 
MACHINE  FOUNDATIONS: — On  a  large  number  the  average 
cost  was  $1  per  cy. 

WATER: — On  one  Omaha  building  where  the  contractor 
struck  water,  the  cost  of  excavation  was  $1.50.  This  is  10 
times  as  much  as  on  No.  2,  and  shows  how  impossible  it  is  to 
give  figures  without  examining  the  ground.  There  is  danger 
below  ground.  On  an  Omaha  hotel,  built  in  the  nineties,  the 
contractor  had  to  pay  a  ruinous  price  for  his  excavation  in 
wet  ground. 

ROCK:— For  average  rock,  $1  per  cy;  on  large  work  with 
steam  drills,  75c.  We  have  not  the  same  soil  here  as  in  New 
York,  where  the  foundations  for  whole  streets  of  houses  are 
blasted  out  of  the  solid.  But  in  cities  the  work  is  sometimes 
more  expensive  on  account  of  the  cost  of  necessary  pre- 
cautions, etc.  For  400  cy  rock  excavated  above  grade  in 
Boston  in  1903,  the  average  of  11  bids  was  $3.60  per  yd,  the 
lowest  $3,  the  highest  $4.50. 

LABOR: — With  ordinary  soil  two  men  will  shovel  and  wheel 
12  cy  to  a  distance  of  200  ft  in  a  day  of  nine  hours.  Sand 
is  easily  moved  by  a  pick;  loam  is  more  difficult;  stiff  clay 
Is  worse.  Put  them  in  the  proportion  of  one,  two,  and  three. 

AVERAGE  COST: — For  an  average,  approximate  estimate  of 
the  price  per  yd  of  ordinary  work  with  earth  spread  near  the 
building,  divide  the  total  of  a  laborer's  wage  per  day  by  five, 
and  a  man  and  team's  cost  by  twelve.  Thus,  $1.75  divided 
would  be  35c;  and  $4.50  would  give  37£c.  But  with  other 
work,  in  deep  excavations,  and  a  long  haul,  $2  per  yd  might 
be  required. 

See  chapter  on  "  Municipal  Work "  for  description  of  ex- 
cavating machine. 
LOAD:— A  load  for  a  two  horse  wagon  is  from  1|  to  1$  cye 


42  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

EXCAVATING  TABLE   PER  CY 

Ordinary   Trenches $0.35 

For  each  4'  deep  beyond  the  first  4'  add. . .       .15 

Backfilling 15 

Spreading   on   lot 06 

Wheeling  about  25  yds .15 

Carting  away  old  bldg  material 1.50 

SEWER   DITCH 

For  a  large  one  about  20'  wide,  $8  per  If,  or  $1.25  per  yd. 

FILLING 

For  filling  and  tamping  several  thousand  yds  of  sand  in- 
side of  No.  7  the  labor  alone  was  27c. 

Sometimes  filling  is  done  at  a  very  reasonable  price  if  a 
contractor  wants  to  get  rid  of  excavated  material.  He  will 
rather  take  5c  per  yd  for  it  than  dump  it  elsewhere  for 
nothing. 

DREDGE: — To  fill  a  large  area  the  best  method  is  that 
adopted  at  Galveston  behind  the  sea-wall;  and  by  a  man  who 
is  filling  up  a  N.  J.  swamp  for  the  location  of  a  city — i.  e. 
the  dredge.  In  a  day  of  twenty-four  hours  one  will  remove 
from  2,500  to  3,000  cy  at  a  cost  of  about  16c  per  yd. 

SLOPE: — In  case  an  embankment  or  slope  has  to  be  made, 
allow  what  a  stair-builder  would  call  18  run  to  12  rise,  and 
the  earth  will  stand.  Sometimes  1  to  1  is  enough. 

SHEET   PILING 

Sheet-piling  is  hard  to  estimate  without  seeing  the  ground. 
A  fair  allowance  is  20c  per  cy  for  shoring  pieces  put  in  about 
4'  centers  in  reasonably  good  ground  to  a  depth  of,  say,  8'; 
with  continuous  planking  in  bad  ground,  $1;  for  the  worst 
soil  to  a  depth  of  12',  $3  ought  to  be  enough.  These  figures 
are  to  be  added  to  the  regular  cost  of  excavation. 


CHAPTER  II 

PILING 

COST  OP  AVERAGE: — In  the  softest  ground,  with  wages 
from  17c  to  20c  an  hour,  it  costs  5c  per  if  to  drive  ordinary 
piles  in  the  ordinary  way.  The  highest  figure,  where  the 
conditions  are  not  so  favorable,  should  not  be  more  than  lOc 
at  the  same  rate  of  wages.  Pointing  and  cutting  off  the  top 
included.  No.  7  and  other  buildings  of  the  plant  are  set  upon 
pile  foundations,  and  5c  to  6c  covered  all  work,  except  one 
lot  which  cost  8c.  There  are  more  than  250,000  If.  But  these 
prices  would  not  apply  in  all  places,  or  in  any  place  with  few 
piles.  Piles  for  abutments  cost  about  20c  for  labor;  for  pile 
bridges,  from  7  to  12c,  depending  upon  interruptions  from 
trains,  etc.  On  an  Omaha  building,  erected  in  1903,  the  con- 
tract price  for  labor  was  $1  per  pile.  The  piles  averaged 
about  20'  long.  On  another,  in  1907,  with  12,000  If,  12c. 

One  of  the  blocks  shown  in  No.  6  is  piled,  but  comparatively 
few  buildings  are  in  Omaha  or  Lincoln.  Nevertheless  there 
are  quite  a  number  which  have  cracked  and  sunk  so  much 
that  a  few  piles,  in  the  right  place  would  have  been  of  wonder- 
ful value, — or  at  least  wider  footings. 

PRICE: — Oak  piles  with  a  10"  head  are  worth  from  16  to  21c 
per  If,  according  to  length;  white  cedar  (which  outlast  oak  if 
above  ground)  are  about  the  same  price.  In  yp  creosoted, 
35c;  cedar  30',  41c. 

DRIVING:— On  a  New  York  contract  the  average  cost  of 
driving  750  piles,  70'  long,  was  $2  each,  or  about  3c  per  If. 
The  piles  on  No.  7  were  from  25  to  30'  long.  With  a  pile 
nearly  three  times  as  long,  a  better  record  can  be  made,  for 
the  driver  does  not  need  to  be  changed. 

In  New  York  1800  piles  were  driven  24'  into  gravel  for 
80c  each.  "  The  American  Architect "  gives  a  record  of  piles 
driven  in  Chicago  for  about  a  cent  and  a  quarter  a  foot. 

Records  like  there  are,  however,  dangerous  to  bid  by.  From 
5  to  lOc  is  a  fair  price  for  an  approximate  estimate,  until 
soil  is  examined. 

43 


44  THE     NEW     BUILDING    ESTIMATOR 

CUTTING: — Cutting  off  the  head  is  included  in  the  prices 
given  for  the  250,000'.  It  is  worth  about  25c,  or  Ic  per  If  on  a 
25'  pile,  and  l-2c  on  a  50'. 

PRICE:— In  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  in  1898,  100,000  If  cost  in 
place  28c. 

CONCRETE    PILES. 

Corrugated  or  "fluted"  concrete  piles,  are  made  above 
ground  and  dried  before  being  jetted  and  driven..  They  are 
built  up  with  steel  rods  and  concrete,  and  run  from  60c  to 
$1  per  If  in  the  ground. 

Raymond  concrete  piles  cost  from  $1  to  $1.50  per  If.  A 
sheet  iron  mould  is  driven  and  filled  with  concrete.  The 
mould  is  not  withdrawn. 

"Often  concrete  pile  foundation  will  be  found  cheaper  than 
wooden  ones,  where  the  permanent  water  level  is  very  deep. 
Concrete  pile  foundations  may  also  be  cheaper  than  mass 
concrete  ones  where  the  top  layer  of  soil  is  poor.  Sometimes 
however,  under  such  circumstances  large  footings  of  poor 
grade  concrete  may  be  more  economical,  or  largely  spread 
reinforced  footings." 

In  "Carpentry  and  Building,"  Mar.,  '09,  there  is  an  interesting  ar- 
ticle on  Concrete  Piles.  The  cost  is  given  in  the  table : — 

COST  OF  CONCRETE  PILES. 

The  cost  of  driving  piles  on  the  Boston  Woven  Hose  & 
Rubber  Company  job  was  as  follows:  Cost  per 

Platform  and  forms  :  lin.  ft. 

Material     $.051 

Labor     092 

Making  and  placing  concrete  : 

Material 150 

Labor     .088 

Reinforcement,  pipes,  &c. : 

Material     372 

Labor 096 

Pile  driving : 

Miscellaneous   costs    088 

Labor 28,5 

Teaming  and  getting  ready   068 

$1.290 
Add   30   per   cent,    for   pumping,    miscellaneous   items 

and    contingencies    360 


Total  per  linear  foot  of  pile   $1.650 

The  total  cost  per  linear  foot  of  pile,  as  shown  above,  was  about 
$1.65 ;  but  this  amount  will  vary  with  the  number  and  length  of 
piles  made.  By  making  a  study  of  the  detail  times  taken,  various 
items  will  be  suggested  where  the  costs  on  other  jobs  may  be  altered. 
The  total  cost  of  labor  on  the  concrete  on  this  job  per  linear  foot 
of  pile  was  $0.088,  which  amount  appears  large,  and  on  another  sim- 
ilar job  might  be  reduced  to  $0.058.  This  assumption  is  based  on 
the  fact  that  while  on  the  average  only  six  piles  per  day  were  made, 
toward  the  latter  part  of  the  making  nine  piles  were  made  one  day 
and  10  piles  on  another,  so  that  an  average  of  eight  piles  should  be 
possible  with  a  given  gang.  This  is  especially  probable  because  the 
cost  of  making  and  placing  the  concrete  was  $2.25  per  cubic  yard, 
whereas  the  writer's  data  on  hand  mixing  indicate  that  the  cost 
should  not  have  exceeded  $1.50  per  yard. 

The    writer    of    the   article    estimates    that    under   other    conditions, 
and  with   more  than  48  piles  as  above,   the  total   cost  would   not  ex- 


/y  CHAPTER  III 

CONCRETE* 

Per  Yd 

With  Portland  Cement  @  $1.60 $5.75 

With  Portland  Cement  and  Forms 6.50 

With  Natural  Cement, 4.95 

With  Natural  Cement  and  Forms 5.70 

Forms   50c  to     1.75 

LABOR: — On  No.  2  the  price  by  piece-work  was  50c  per  cy 
The  work  was  really  worth  75c.  The  rate  of  v/ages  in  the 
neighborhood  was  $1.50  for  9  hours. 

By  taking  65%  of  the  wages  paid  to  1  laborer  for  10  hours, 
a  safe  figure  or  mixing  average  concrete  may  be  found.  A 
recent  engineering  table  gives  90%,  but  that  is  too  much 
unless  some  special  reasons  exist  which  make  the  work  diffi- 
cult. 

LABOR  AND  FORMS: — On  No.  7  the  average  cost  of  several 
thousand  yards  was  95c,  but  this  was  for  concrete  only.  The 
average  labor  on  forms  was  28c  per  yd  additional.  Of  course, 
small  foundations  cost  more  than  large  ones.  Forms  are 
necessary  when  ground  is  wet,  when  piers  have  a  special 
shape,  or  rise  above  the  level.  The  engineering  table  referred 
to  above  sets  the  cost  of  forms  at  35c  to  85c. 

MACHINE  FOUNDATIONS:— But  while  95c  was  the  average 
on  the  main  buildings,  on  the  machine  foundations  where 
special  and  complicated  forms  had  to  be  made,  the  cost  of 
concrete  mixing  ran  from  $1.50  to  more  than  $3,  with  an 
average  for  several  hundred  yards  of  $2.05.  In  addition  to 
this  the  labor  on  forms  per  cy  was  $1.42.  The  quantities  are 
small  on  such  work,  the  angles  are  many,  bolts  are  to  set, 
and  the  work  has  to  be  carefully  leveled  and  smoothed  on 
top.  The  excavation  for  the  same  foundations  ran  to  $1. 
UNLOADING: — The  unloading  of  sand  and  stone  from  cars 
to  ground  only  for  the  work  on  No.  7  ran  to  12c  per  cy  of 
concrete  in  wall.  This  figure  has  to  be  added  to  mixing  if 
material  is  not  delivered  with  teams. 

*Chap.    30.   Actual   Cost   of  Reinforced     Concrete     covers     the 

latest    types    of   connstruction. 

4o 


4G  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LUMBER: — The  average  cost  of  lumber  and  nails  for  forms 
was  lOc  per  cy  of  material  in  wall.  Of  course  the  same  forms 
and  lumber  can  be  used  several  times.  If  instead  of  piers 
there  is  a  continuous  foundation,  the  forms  cost  only  about 
half  as  much  for  labor,  and  there  is  less  lumber  used.  With 
piers,  No.  7  required  7,000'  bm  and  3  kegs  of  spikes  to  each 
1,000  yds.  For  continuous  basement  walls  allow  studs,  shores 
and  planking  full  height  around  about  £  of  building  and 
change  when  work  is  dry.  Put  labor  at  $10  per  1,000.  Of 
course,  the  walls  are  at  once  put  all  around  to  a  certain 
height,  and  the  planking  raised,  but  allowance  may  be  figured 
as  stated. 

"COST  OF  FORMS  FOR  CONCRETE:— For  estimating  the 
cost  of  forms  for  retaining  walls  and  piers,  "  Engineering- 
Contracting"  gives  the  following  rule: 

Mult  the  number  of  sq  ft  of  surface  area  of  the  sides  and 
ends  of  the  wall  or  piers  by  2.8,  and  the  product  will  be  the 
number  of  ft  bm  required  for  sheet  plank  and  studs  for  the 
forms. 

If  the  form  lumber  can  be  used  more  than  once,  divide  the 
number  of  ft  bm  by  the  number  of  times  that  it  can  be  used, 
to  ascertain  the  amount  to  be  charged  to  each  pier. 

The  foregoing  rule  is  based  on  the  assumption  that  the 
sheeting  plank  will  be  2"  thick,  and  that  the  upright  studs 
will  be  4x6",  spaced  2£'  center  to  center,  or  3x6"  studs  spaced 
2'  center  to  center.  No  allowance  is  included  for  timber  to 
brace  the  studs,  since  it  is  customary  to  hold  the  forms  to- 
gether either  with  bolts  or  with  ordinary  No.  9  telegraph 
wire  which  weighs  0.06  Ib  per  ft. 

Where  carpenters'  wages  are  $3.00  a  day,  forms  can  be 
erected  and  taken  down  for  about  $8.00  per  1,000'  bm.  Since 
there  are  2.8'  bm  of  forms  per  sq  ft  of  surface  area  of  con- 
crete to  be  sheeted,  it  costs  $8.00  x  2.8,  or  2i  cents  per  sq  ft 
for  the  labor  of  carpenters  erecting  and  taking  down  the 
forms.  If  lumber  is  worth  $24.00  per  1,000'  bm,  then  the 
lumber  itself  cost  $24.00  x  28.  or  6fc  per  sq  ft  of  concrete 
surface;  but  if  the  lumber  can  be  used  3  times,  we  have  J 
of  6f,  or  2i  cents  per  sq  ft  of  concrete  as  the  cost  of  the 
lumber,  to  which  must  be  added  the  2i  cents  per  sq  ft  for 


CONCRETE  47 

the   carpenters'  labor,   making  a  total   of  4£c  per   sq  ft  of 
concrete  surface. 

By  dividing  the  total  number  of  cy  of  concrete  into  the  total 
number  of  sq  ft  to  be  sheeted  with  forms,  the  number  of 
sq  ft  per  cy  is  obtained.     Mult  this  number  of  sq  ft  by  4£c> 
and  the  product  is  the  cost  per  cy  for  material  and  labor  i 
the  forms,  assuming  the  material  to  be  used  three  times. 

To  illustrate:  Suppose  wo  have  a  concrete  pier  averaging 
18'  high,  6'  thick  and  12'  long,  what  will  the  forms  cost  per  cy, 
assuming  that  the  lumber  in  the  forms  can  be  used  over 
3  times?  The  surface  area  of  the  two  ends  of  the  pier  is  6x18. 
or  108  sq  ft  for  each  end,  or  216  sq  ft  for  the  two  ends.  The 
surface  area  of  the  two  sides  is  2xl2xl8,or  432  sq  ft.  Hence 
the  total  area  to  be  sheeted  with  forms  is  216  -f  432,  or  648 
sq  ft.  Now,  the  total  number  of  cy  is  6x12x18  -4-  27,  or  48  cy. 
Hence  there  are  648  -r-  48,  or  13£  sq  ft  of  form  per  cy  of  con- 
crete. Since  the  forms  will  cost  4^x131,  or  60f  cents,  prac- 
tically 60c  per  cy  of  concrete  to  be  paid  for  the  labor  and 
material  in  the  forms. 

Each  job  should  be  figured  in  this  manner,  for  it  is  evident 
that  if  a  wall  is  thin,  the  cost  of  the  forms  per  cy  of  wall  will 
be  high.  If  the  wall  is  thick,  it  will  be  low. 

It  is  often  possible  to  make  the  forms  in  panels,  or  sections, 
which  are  not  knocked  to  pieces  each  time  they  are  moved,  but 
are  moved  bodily.  Then  they  may  be  used  again  and  again, 
not  only  affecting  a  saving  in  lumber  but  in  labor.  But  in 
calculating  the  number  of  panels  that  will  be  needed,  and  the 
number  of  times  that  they  can  be  used*  it  must  be  remembered 
that  it  is  not  safe  to  strip  the  forms  from  the  concrete  inside 
24  hours — even  of  retaining  walls,  and  that  where  the  con- 
crete must  act  as  an  arch  or  beam,  as  in  bridges  and  floors, 
the  forms  must  usually  be  left  in  place  at  least  2  weeks  to 
give  the  concrete  time  to  gain  enough  strength  to  carry  its 
own  weight  and  any  construction  loads  that  may  come  upon 
it.  On  the  other  hand,  centers  and  forms  for  small  con- 
crete sewers,  up  to  5  or  6'  diam,  are  usually  moved  with  safety 
within  24  to  36  hours,  provided  the  work  Is  not  done  in 
freezing  weather.  In  cold  weather  concrete  takes  longer  to 
set  or  harden,  and  in  very  cold  weather  it  will  not  set  at  all" 
unless  protected  from  the  cold." 


48  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

HEATING  AND  HOISTING:— If  material  for  concrete  has  to 
be  heated,  allow  $1  per  yd  extra.  If  it  has  to  be  hoisted,  allow 
50c  per  cy  extra  for  the  first  story  for  an  ordinary  amount, 
but  less  for  a  large  job;  and  30c  for  each  additional  story. 

EXAMPLE:— On  another  building  with  about  700  yds,  the 
complete  cost  of  unloading,  making  forms  and  finishing  con- 
crete was  $2.  A  day's  work  for  2  men  may  be  averaged  at 
3  to  4  cy.  This  does  not  mean  50'  below  the  surf  of  the 
ground.  The  average  foundation  is  seldom  more  than  10  to 
15'  below  the  street  level. 

MACHINE  MIXING  AND  FORMS:— All  the  heavy  founda- 
tions for  No.  8  were  mixed  with  machines  at  a  cost  of  75c: 
forms  about  50c  extra.  No.  7  was  hand-mixed. 

While  writing  this  part  a  Chicago  contractor,  who  allows 
$1  to  $1.35  per  cy,  informed  me  that  on  a  certain  contract 
for  4,000  yds  in  Louisiana, a  gang  of  30  men  with  a  concrete- 
mixer put  in  105  cy  per  day.  The  difference  is  not  so  great 
as  one  might  expect,  but  with  a  machine  there  is  a  better 
assurance  of  good  mixing  if  work  is  done  by  contract;  and 
even  the  best  cement  is  wasted  unless  the  mixing  is  well  done. 
This  was  in  New  Orleans  where  the  negroes  do  not  work  so 
hard  or  effectively  as  whites  do  elsewhere.  On  another  large 
contract  in  Chicago  20  men  with  a  mixer  put  in  100  yds  a 
day.  In  both  cases  the  engine  man  is  included.  One  maker's 
machines  cost  from  $450  to  $800  without  engine;  others  are 
in  the  market  complete  with  3  h.p.  gas  engine,  for  $450;  for 
horse,  $150.  Engines,  gasoline,  6  h.p.  $400;  8,  $450;  10,  $500. 

MACHINES: — Different  sizes  of  another,  and  a  popular  ma- 
chine run  in  price  from  $300  with  nothing  but  the  skids  and 
pulley,  to  $1,600  mounted  on  a  truck  with  steam-engine  and. 
hotter.  The  reports  from  more  than  a  score  of  users  give 
results  ranging  from  60  to  350  cy  in  a  day  according  to  the 
size  of  the  machine.  The  cost  is  set  down  by  some  as  half 
that  of  hand  labor.  An  allowance  of  from  5  to  8  yds  per  day, 
per  man  is  given. 

LABOR: — A  correspondent  in  the  "Engineering  News"  of 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  describes  his  experience  in  mixing  20,000 
yds  in  the  north  of  England.  Part  was  mixed  with  machine, 


CONCRETE  4i) 

part  with  hand  labor.  With  the  machine  13  men  averaged 
60  cy  per  day;  with  hand  labor,  11  men,  30. 
HAND  AND  MACHINE: — On  railway  shops  with  walls  and 
roof  of  concrete,  erected  in  New  Jersey,  a  power  mixer  was 
found  to  be  economical  when  the  concrete  was  18"  thick. 
Below  that  hand  mixing  was  cheaper.  The  concrete  was 
mixed  with  the  machine  and  put  in  place  for  50c  per  cy. 

COSTS: — On  a  government  breakwater  at  Buffalo  the  labor  on 
concrete  was  $2.41  per  cy.  On  the  New  York  storage  reservoir, 
.574  days  for  1  man  was  time  required  per  cy  for  work  from 
27  to  10'  below  the  surf;  and  .485  days  from  10  to  6'  below. 
In  both  cases  the  concrete  was  wheeled  into  place.  A  St.  Louis 
engineer  mixes  concrete  for  street  paving  at  30  to  40c  with 
machine,  and  common  labor  at  $1.75,  teams  $4,  engine  at  $5 
for  a  10-hour  day.  But  street  work  is  easier  reached  than 
a  deep  foundation,  and  the  surface  is  larger. 

MEASUREMENT: — Only  actual  measurement  is  allowed  in 
this  book — corners  are  not  doubled,  openings,  etc,  not  included. 

PRICE:— 

Crushed  Stone,  $1.50  ton,  2250  Ibs $1.69 

Portland  Cement,  $1.60  bbl,  1TV 1.76 

San'd,  $1  per  yd,  T% 60 

Labor 1.50 

Water 15 

$5.70 

On  a  large  warehouse  foundation  work,  near  Omaha,  the 
contractor  put  in  the  concrete  for  a  trifle  less  than  $6,  and 
this  included  his  profit,  but  the  cars  ran  to  the  ground,  so  that 
there  was  no  hauling,  which  may  cost  30c  or  $1,  according  to 
distance, — and  wages  and  material  were  lower  than  now. 
NATURAL  CEMENT: — If  natural  cement  is  used,  a  deduction 
of  80c  a, yd  may  be  made;  if  imported  Portland,  at  $3.50,  the 
price  must  be  raised  to  suit.  If  there  is  no  hauling  to  be 
done,  deduct  that  item.  Sand  at  river  is  15c;  on  cars  Omaha, 
55  to  60c;  at  building,  70c  to  $1.25. 

QUANTITIES  OP  MATERIAL:— The  Engineering  Dep't  of 
the  B.  &  M.  R.  R.  allows  for  average  concrete  as  follows: 


50  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

2,300  Ibs  of  crushed  stone;  \  cy  of  sand;  1  bbl  of  cement;  $1 
to  mix. 

From  2,300  to  2,350  Ibs  of  stone  is  a  fair  allowance.  From 
a  number  of  cars  weighed  by  the  U.  P.  R.  R.  for  the  viaducts 
at  16th  and  24th  Sts.,  Omaha,  it  was  found  that  2,260  Ibs  were 
sufficient  for  a  yd  of  concrete;  but  on  small  work  on  the  line 
where  there  is  more  chance  of  waste,  2,.500  are  allowed  and 
the  excess  used  for  filling.  For  the  foundations  of  No.  7, 
2,300  were  allowed  and  2,200  used,  along  with  6-10  of  a  yd  of 
sand. 

MEASURE  OR  WEIGHT: — Stone  and  sand  would  be  bought 
by  the  cy  if  contractors  had  their  way;  but  the  dealers  prefer 
to  sell  by  weight  on  account  of  freight  charges.  If  they 
come  wet  it  does  not  take  so  much  to  make  a  ton  as  when 
dry;  and  granite  weighs  more  than  lava  although  a  cy  of 
the  one  does  not  fill  any  more  space  than  a  cy  of  the  other. 
Of  course,  concrete  can  be  made  more  expensive  by  increasing 
the  quantity  of  cement.  Two  barrels  are  given  to  the  cy  in 
a  rule  before  me;  1J  to  \\  is  a  quantity  often  used.  On  No.  7, 
lik  of  Am.  Portland  was  the  unit.  But  there  is  a  certain 
point  beyond  which  more  cement  means  waste,  and  it  is  the 
province  of  the  architect  or  engineer  to  discover  it  and  stop. 
The  contractor  is  apt  to  make  the  discovery  ahead  of  either. 

But  as  the  business  of  an  estimator  or  contractor  is  largely 
to  follow  the  specifications  and  ask  no  questions,  it  is  well 
to  give  a  rule  for  quantities  based  upon  different  proportions. 
Take  four  for  an  illustration:  Cement,  1;  sand,  2;  stone,  4  to  5 
is  considered  the  best,  but  an  excellent  concrete  can  be  made 
with  more  stone. 

No.  1—1,  2,  6;  No.  2—1,  2,  4;  3—1,  2,  2;  4—1,  4,  10.  (The 
large  mill  of  an  eastern  cement  factory  is  built  to  the  roof 
on  this  last  proportion  though  it  seems  rather  weak.) 

1:     2:     6 

Let  us  consider  No.  1:  There  are  27  cf  in  a  cy. 
On  a  1,  2,  6  basis  this  means  3  cf  of  cement,  6  of  sand,  and 
18  of  solid  stone.  But  it  has  been  found  by  experience  and 
experiment  that  about  *  more  material  is  needed  to  fill  the 
spaces  between  the  crushed  stone,  and  again  35-100  of  ma- 


CONCRETE  51 

terial  to  fill  the  voids  between  the  grains  of  sand,  so  that 
using  4  for  sand  voids  gives  a  large  enough  extra  cement 
allowance.  Stone  then  being  18  gives  9  cf  of  space,  and  the 
sand  being  6,  gives  2.4  cf  of  space,  or  altogether  11.4  cf  we 
are  short  owing  to  the  voids.  Adding  1,  2,  6  we  have  9 
parts;  dividing  the  11.4  cf  by  9  we  have  1,267  cf  for  a  unit 
To  keep  the  materials  in  the  same  proportion  add  1.267  tc 
3,  making  4.267  cf  of  cement;  2.534  to  6,  making  8.534  of 
sand;  and  7.6,  or  6  times  1.267,  to  18,  making  25.6  cf  of 
crushed  stone,  a  total  of  38.4  cf. 

VOIDS: — Trautwine  gives  us  the  exact  proportion  between 
uniform  crushed  stone  and  voids  as  .53  stone  and  .47  space, 
but  the  half  is  exact  enough  for  practical  purposes:  sand 
runs  about  .65  solid  to  .35  void, — U.  S.  experiments  .349.  "  It 
is  advisable  that  the  voids  be  filled  or  more  than  filled," — and 
this  puts  a  stop  to  using  too  much  stone,  but  leaves  room 
for  sand.  For  1  cy  in  place  the  foregoing  figures  allow  1.43 
of  loose  material;  at  the  Mississippi  jetties  where  blocks  of 
25  to  72  tons  were  used,  the  allowance  was  1.66,  as  the  con- 
crete below  water  stood  only  60%  of  the  loose  material.  There 
the  proportions  were:  Portland  cement,  0.16;  sand,  0.45; 
clean  gravel,  0.24;  broken  stone,  0.81,  a  total  of  1.66.  Con- 
crete at  1,  2,  6  stands:  .16,  .32,  and  .95,  a  total  of  1.43. 

1:     2:     4 

So  much  for  1,  2,  6 ;  let  us  now  try  1,  -2,  4. '  There  are  7 
parts  in  this  proportion,  and  27  divided  by  7  gives  3.857. 
This  makes  3.857,  7.714,  15.428.  Taking  the  half  of  stone 
and  4-10  of  sand  for  voids,  we  are  short  10.8  cf.  The  7th  part 
is  1.543.  This  added  in  the  proportion  of  1,  2,  4,  gives  5.4 
cement,  10.8  sand,  21.6  crushed  stone,  a  total  of  37.8  cf. 
Here  sand  is  half  of  stone,  and  the  voids  will  not  only  be 
filled  but  the  stone  will  not  touch;  and  this  is  consequently  a 
better  concrete  than  1,  2,  6. 

1:     2:     2 

But  take  1,  2,  2:  Worked  out  in  the  same  way  this  is 
7.34  cement  and  14.69  for  both  sand  and  stone,  a  total  of 
36.72.  There  is  less  waste  through  voids  in  this  proportion, 


52  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

and  consequently  the  total  is  smaller.  It  is  too  rich,  but  is 
introduced  to  show  that  by  this  method  the  quantities  regu- 
late themselves.  Theoretically  sand  should  be  half  of  stone, 
for  with  .47  void  .5  insures  enough  material  to  keep  stone 
from  touching,  but  if  the  quantity  of  stone  is  fixed  by  the 
proportion  chosen,  enough  sand  and  cement  have  to  be  added 
to  make  up  the  yard.  It  is  often  said  that  a  cy  of  concrete 
requires  a  cy  of  crushed  stone,  a  bbl  of  cement,  and  half  a 
yd  of  sand,  but  that  depends  upon  the  proportion.  Here  we 
require  nearly  2  bbls  of  cement  and  only  a  little  more  than 
half  a  yd  of  stone. 

Having  found  the  cf  it  is  necessary  to  mult  stone  and  sand 
by  weight  if  tons  are  desired;  and  divide  the  cf  of  cement 
by  4.4  to  get  loose  bbls,  or  3.8  to  get  packed. 

1:     4:     10 

No.  4  is  1,  4,  10:  27-f-15— 1.8x1=1.8;  x4,  7.2;  xlO,  18.  The 
voids=11.88-f-15=.793,  which  added  in  the  proportion  of  1, 
4,  10  equals  2.59,  10.37,  25.93,  a  total  of  38.89.  So  may  any 
proportion  be  worked  out. 

ST.  JOHN 

In  the  Cathedral  of  St.  John  the  Divine,  the  proportions 
are:  1  Portland  cement,  2  sand,  3  quartz  gravel;  and  11,000 
cy  took  17,000  bbls. 

The  rule  comes  close  enough  to  actual  figures  to  be  satis- 
factory. The  quantities  are  6.225,  12.45,  18.675,  a  total  of 
37.35.  At  the  cathedral  a  cy  took  1.545  bbls  of  cement.  At 
3.8  cf  of  packed  Portland  cement  to  a  bbl  our  rule  gives  1.68; 
at  4  of  Western  Rosendale,  1,556.  "  A  bbl  of  Rosendale  is  so 
packed  at  the  factory  that  loose  it  will  measure  1.25  to  1.40; 
Western  Rosendale  1.1;  Portland  1.2." 

MAINTENANCE  OF  WAY 

After  I  had  worked  out  the  foregoing  method,  I  read  the 
following  one  from  the  report  of  The  American  Railway, 
Engineering  and  Maintenance  of  Way  Association  made  by 
its  committee.  They  give  the  stone  voids  at  .47  and  the  sand 
voids  at  32.3.  On  this  basis  "we  have  theoretically  cement  1; 
sand,  3.1;  broken  stone,  6.5.  Adding  5%  of  cement  and  re- 


CONCRETE  53 

ducing  to  the  basis  of  cement  1,  we  have  cement,  1;  sand, 
2.96;  stone,  6.2,  or  nearly  1,  3,  6."  Although  they  do  not 
give  the  method  of  working  out  the  proportion,  which  is  not 
seen  at  first  glance,  we  can  get  it  by  setting  100  of  stone  as 
the  unit  instead  of  1  of  cement:  100  of  stone  gives  47  of 
voids;  32.3%  of  47  equals  15.181,  and  these  figures  stand  in 
the  proportion  of  6.5,  3.1,  1.  Their  recommendation  is  to 
add  5%  of  cement,  making  1.05.  Turning  this  1.05  into  1  for 
a  unit  of  cement,  sand  is  2.96  and  stone  6.2. 

VOIDS: — "Various  writers  place  broken  stone  and  gravel 
voids  at  from  41  to  50  %.  Experiments  show  that  with 
ordinary  sand,  voids  will  vary  from  31  to  38%." 

In  the  example  they  gave  5%  extra  of  cement  is  used,  and 
they  go  from  that  to  10%.  With  the  sand  voids  averaging 
.35  the  method  I  worked  out  allowing  .4  gives  enough  cement. 
LIMESTONE: — This  committee  also  made  some  interesting 
experiments  with  blue  limestone  and  found  the  following 
results : 

Weight         %  of 
per  cf  voids 

Crushed  Rock  with  dust  screened  out 89.22  45.16 

Stone    passed   through    2"    ring   and    retained 

in  1"  86.74  47,70 

Stone  passed  through  2"  and  retained  in  £..  77.70  50.66 

Pea  size    75.44  49.63 

WEIGHTS: — For  western  natural  cement  they  set  1  bbl  at 
265  Ibs,  with  3  paper  sacks  as  the  equivalent,  or  2  jute  sacks 
with  133  Ibs  each;  Eastern  cement  runs  to  300  Ibs.  "Port- 
land cement  shall  not  contain  less  than  376  Ibs,  and  4  sacks 
shall  equal  1  bbl."  A  bbl  of  Portland  weighs  about  400  Ibs 
gross,  380  net. 

APPROXIMATE: — An  approximate  way  of  finding  the  bbls 
of  cement  for  any  proportion  is  to  divide  11  by  the  sum  of 
all  the  parts:  No.  1  by  9;  2  by  7;  3  by  5;  and  4  by  15,  giving 
1.23,  1.57,  2.2  and  .74  bbls  of  cement — then  mult  by  the 
parts  of  sand  and  stone  to  get  bbls,  which  mult  by  3.8  for 
cf.  No.  1,  for  example,  would  have  2.46  bbls  of  sand,  and 
7.38  of  stone. 

The  following  tables  save  the  trouble  of  calculation.    They  are  supplied  by  the 
CONTRACTORS  PLANT  CO.,   BOSTON 


54 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


CONCRETE  WITH  2£  INCH  STONE. 

CONCRETE  WITH  GRAVEL  £  INCH 
AND  UNDER 

Proportions  of 
Mixture 

Req'd  for  1  cy 

Proportions  of 
Mixture 

Req'd  for  1  cy 

a 
1 

T3 

1 

V 

d 
5 
m 

§J2 

jl 

13 
J>> 
° 

a> 

!& 

03 

1 

I 

1 
o 

c3 
j» 

Ife 

c*  o 

cc 

"Q> 

g& 

a 

1 
1 
1 

1 
1 
1 

2.0 
2.5 
3.0 

2.72 
2.41 
2.16 

0.41 
0.37 
0.33 

0.83 
0.92 
0.98 

1 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

1 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

1 

.5 
.5 
.5 
.5 
.5 
2.0 
2.0 
2.0 
2.0 
2.0 
2.5 
2.5 
2.5 
2.5 
2.5 
2.5 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 

2.5 
3.0 
3.5 
4.0 
3.0 
3.5 
4.0 
4.5 
5.0 
3.5 
4.0 
4.5 
5.0 
6.0 
4.0 
4.5 
5.0 
5.5 
6.0 
7.0 
5.0 
5.5 
6.0 
6.5 
7.0 
7.5 
8.0 
6.0 
6.5 
7.0 
7.5 
8.0 
8.5 
9.0 
7.0 
7.5 
8.0 
8.5 
9.0 
9.5 
10.0 

2.10 
1.89 
1.71 
1.55 
1.71 
1.57 
1.46 
.34 
.24 
.44 
.34 
.26 
.17 
1     .03 
.24 
.16 
.10 
.03 
0.98 
0.88 
1.03 
0.97 
0.92 
0.88 
0.84 
0.80 
0.76 
0.88 
0.83 
0.80 
0.76 
0.73 
0.71 
0.68 
0.77 
0.73 
0.71 
0.68 
0.65 
0.63 
0.61 

0.32 
0.29 
0.26 
0.24 
0.39 
0.36 
0.33 
0.31 
0.28 
0.44 
0.41 
0.38 
0.36 
0.31 
0.47 
0.44 
0.42 
0.39 
0.37 
0.33 
0.47 
0.44 
0.42 
0.40 
0.38 
0.37 
0.35 
0.46 
0.44 
0.43 
0.41 
0.39 
0.38 
0.36 
0.47 
0.44 
0.43 
0.42 
0.40 
0.38 
0.37 

0.80 
0.86 
0.91 
0.94 
0.78 
0.83 
0.88 
0.91 
0.94 
0.77 
0.81 
0.86 
0.89 
0.94 
0.75 
0.80 
0.83 
0.86 
0.89 
0.93 
0.78 
0.81 
0.84 
0.87 
0.89 
0.91 
0.93 
0.80 
0.82 
0.85 
0.87 
0.89 
0.91 
0.92 
0.81 
0.83 
0.86 
0.88 
0.89 
0.91 
0.93 

1 
1 
1 
1 

1.5 
1.5 
1.5 
1.5 

2.5 
3.0 
3.5 
4.0 

2.16 
1.96 
1.79 
1.64 

0.49 
0.45 
0.41 
0.38 

0.82 
0.89 
0.96 
1.00 

2.0 
2.0 
2.0 
2.0 

3.0 
3.5 
4.0 
4.5 

1.78 
1.66 
1.53 
1.43 

0.54 
0.50 
0.47 
0.43 

0.81 
0.88 
0.93 
0.98 

1 
1 

2.5 
2.5 
2.5 
2.5 
2.5 

3.5 
4.0 
4.5 
5.0 
5.5 

.51 
.42 
.33 
.26 
.18 

0.58 
0.54 
0.51 
0.48 
0.44 

0.81 
0.87 
0.91 
0.96 
0.99 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 
3.0 

4.0 
4.5 
5.0 
5.5 
6.0 

.32 
.24 
.17 
.11 
1.06 

0.60 
0.57 
0.54 
0.51 
0.48 

0.80 
0.85 
0.89 
0.93 
0.97 

1 
1 
1 
1 
1 

3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 
3.5 

5.0 
5.5 
6.0 
6.5 
7.0 

1.11 
1.06 
1.00 
0.96 
0.91 

0.59 
0.56 
0.53 
0.51 
0.49 

0.85 
0.89 
0.92 
0.95 
0.98 

i 
i 
i 
i 
i 

4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 
4.0 

6.0 
6.5 
7.0 
7.5 
8.0 

0.95 
0.91 
0.87 
0.84 
0.81 

0.58 
0.55 
0.53 
0.51 
0.49 

0.87 
0.90 
0.93 
0.96 
0.98 

CONCRETE 


55 


CONCRETE  WITH  STONE  1  INCH 

AND    UNDER 

CONCRETE  WITH  STONE  2J  INCH 

AND    UNDER 

Proportions  of 
Mixture 

Req'd  for  1  cy 

Proportions  of 
Mixture 

Req'd  for  1  cy 

a 

oc 

<0 

1 

P 
£ 

ci  w 

0> 

!& 

02 

-^ 
d 

T3 

s 

1 

P 

£ 

I&fJfe 

02           02 

1 

2.0 

2.57  0.39 

0.78 

1 

2.0 

2.63 

0.40 

0.80 

1 

2.5 

2.29 

0.35 

0.70 

1 

2.5 

2.34 

0.36 

0.89 

1 

3.0 

2.06 

0.31 

0.94 

1 

3.0 

2.10 

0.32 

0.96 

3.5 

1.84 

0.28 

0.98 

1 

3.5 

1.88 

0.29 

1.00 

:  .5 

2.5 

2.05 

0.47 

0.78 

1 

.5 

2.5 

2.09 

0.48 

0.80 

.5 

3.0 

1.85 

0.42 

0.84 

1 

.5 

3.0 

1.90 

0.43 

0.87 

.5 

3.5 

1.72 

0.39 

0.91 

1 

.5 

3.5 

1.74 

0.40 

0.93 

.5 

4.0 

1.57 

0.36 

0.96 

1 

.5 

4.0 

1.61 

0.37 

0.98 

.5 

4.5, 

1.43 

0.33 

0.98 

1 

1.5 

4.5 

1.46 

0.33 

1.00 

2.0 

3.0 

1.70 

0.52 

0.77 

1 

2.0 

3.0 

1.73 

0.53 

0.79 

2.0 

3.5 

1.57 

0.48 

0.83 

1 

2.0 

3.5 

1.61 

0.49 

0.85 

2.0 

4.0 

1.46 

0.44 

0.89 

1 

2.0 

4.0 

.48 

0.45 

0.90 

2.0 

4.5 

1.36 

0.42 

0.93 

1 

2.0 

4.5 

.38 

0.42 

0.95 

2.0 

5.0 

1.27 

0.39 

0.97 

1 

2.0 

5.0 

.29 

0.39 

0.98 

2.5 

3.5 

1.45 

0.55 

0.77 

1 

2.5 

3.5 

.48 

0.56 

0.79 

2.5 

4.0 

1.35 

0.52 

0.82 

1 

2.5 

4.0 

.38 

0.53 

0.84 

2.5 

4.5 

1.27 

0.48 

0.87 

1 

2.5 

4.5 

.29 

0.49 

0.88 

2.5 

5.0 

1.19 

0.46 

0.91 

1 

2.5 

5.0 

.21 

0.46 

0.92 

2.5 

5.5 

1.13 

0.43 

0.94 

1 

2.5 

5.5 

.15 

0.44 

0.96 

2.5 

6.0 

1.07 

0.41 

0.97 

1 

2.5 

6.0 

.07 

0.41 

0.98 

1 

3.0 

4.0 

1.26 

0.58 

0.77 

1 

3.0 

4.0 

.28 

0.58 

0.78 

1 

3.0 

4.5 

1.18 

0.54 

0.81 

1 

3.0 

4.5 

.20 

0.55 

0.82 

1 

3.0 

5.0 

1.11 

0.51 

0.85 

1 

3.0 

5.0 

.14 

0.52 

0.87 

1 

3.0 

5.5 

1.06 

0.48 

0.89 

1 

3.0 

5.5 

.07 

0.49 

0.90 

1 

3.0 

6.0 

1.01 

0.46 

0.92 

1 

3.0 

6.0 

.02 

0.47 

0.93 

1 

3.0 

6.5 

0.96 

0.44 

0.95 

1 

3.0 

6.5 

0.98 

0.44 

0.96 

1 

3.0 

7.0 

0.91 

0.42 

0.97 

3.0 

7.0 

0.92 

0.42 

0.98 

3.0 

5.0 

1.05 

0.56 

0.80 

3.5 

5.0 

1.07 

0.57 

0.82 

3.5 

5.5 

1.00 

0.53 

0.84 

3.5 

5.5 

1.02 

0.54 

0.85 

3.5 

6.0 

0.95 

0.50 

0.87 

3.5 

6.0 

0.97 

0.51 

0.89 

3.5 

6.5 

0.92 

0.49 

0.91 

3.5 

6.5 

0.93 

0.49 

0.92 

3.5 

7.0 

0.87 

0.47 

0.93 

3.5 

7.0 

0.89 

0.47 

0.95 

3.5 

7.5 

0.84 

0.45 

0.96 

3.5 

7.5 

0.85 

0.45 

0.98 

1 

3.5 

8.0 

0.80 

0.42 

0.97 

1 

4.0 

6.0 

0.90 

0.55 

0.82 

4.0 

6.0 

0.92 

0.56 

0.84 

1 

4.0 

6.5 

0.87 

0.53 

0.85 

4.0 

6.5 

0.88 

0.53 

0.87 

1 

4.0 

7.0 

0.83 

0.51 

0.89 

4.0 

7.0 

0.84 

0.51 

0.90 

1 

4.0 

7.5 

0.80 

0.49 

0.91 

4.0 

7.5 

0.81 

0.50 

0.93 

1 

4.0 

8.0 

0.77 

0.47 

0.93 

4.0 

8.0 

0.78 

0.48 

0.95 

1 

4.0 

8.5 

0.74 

0.43 

0.95 

1 

4.0 

8.5 

0.76 

0.46 

0.98 

1 

4.0  |  9.0 

0.71 

0.43 

0.97 

56 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


CONCRETE  WITH  STONE  DUST  FOR  ARTIFICIAL,  STONE 


Proportions  of 
Mixture 

Req'd  for  1  cy 

Proportions  of 
Mixture 

Req'd  for  1  cy 

g 

1 

02 

OQ 

II 

02 

0> 

02 

+3 
1 

1 

0> 

.  fl 

02 

a  w 
o>  ~ 

02 

0) 
02 

1 
1 
1 
1 

1 

1.0 
1.0 
1.5 
1.5 
2.0 

2.0 
2.5 
2.5 
3.0 
3.0 

2.51 
2.27 
2.00 
1.83 
1.65 

0.38 
0.35 
0.46 
0.42 
0.50 

0.76 
0.86 
0.76 
0.84 
0.75 

1 
1 
1 

1 
1 

2.0 
2.5 
2.5 
3.0 
3.0 

4.0 
4.0 
5.0 
4.0 
5.0 

1.44 
.33 
.18 
.23 
1.10 

0.44 
0.50 
0.45 
0.56 
0.50 

0.88 
0.81 
0.90 
0.75 
.084 

WEIGHT: — The  weight  of  dry  concrete  is  from  130  to  160 
Ibs  to  cf.  A  fair  average  is  140. 

CRUSHER  AND  CAR  LOAD: — A  stone  crusher  costs  from 
$700  to  $2,000  and  crushes  6  to  7  cy  per  hour  with  10  to  12 
men,  and  an  engine  of  8  to  10  hp.  A  carload  of  cement  runs 
about  170  bbls. 

EXPERIMENTS 

The  results  of  some  interesting  experiments  were  published 
In  "The  Railroad  Gazette"  for  engineers,  etc.  They  may  be 
of  use  to  those  who  want  accurate  figures  for  the  propor- 
tions and  weight  of  concrete: 


Sand,  25;   gravel,  32;   stone,44. 
sand,   102;   gravel,  98;   crushed 


DATA: — Per  cent  of  voids: 
Weight  of  material  per  cf: 
stone,  84;  cement,  88. 

PACKED  OR  LOOSE: — In  these  experiments  4  sacks  of 
cement  measured  loose  4.42,  or  practically  4.5  cf.  The  packed 
bbl  does  not  have  so  many  cf — from  3.5  to  3.8 — as  the  loose, 
and  herein  lies  a  basis  of  dispute  between  the  men  of  theory 
and  the  contractors.  The  theorists  want  the  proportions  to 
be  taken  from  the  measurement  of  the  packed  bbl,  and  the 
contractors  naturally  want  the  cement  to  be  measured  loose 
like  sand  and  stone.  Good  cement  is  saved  by  this  method; 
why  waste  it?  The  U.  S.  Courts  have  sometimes  had  to 
decide  the  matter.  Sand,  we  are  told,  shrinks  from  7  to  10% 
when  wet,  but  we  hear  no  cry  for  packed  sand.  If  one  why 
not  another?  The  committee  already  quoted  was  content  with 
at  most,  but  some  authorities  tell  us  that  owing  to  this 


CONCRETE  57 

shrinkage  the  cement  paste  should  be  about  50%  in  excess 
of  the  voids  of  the  sand,  and  that  the  mortar  of  cement  and 
sand  should  be  about  50%  in  excess  of  the  void?  of  the  stone. 
If  the  "  Gazette's  "  figure  of  25%  void  is  correct,  the  allowance 
of  .4  which  is  given  in  the  examples  worked  out  is  sufficient, — 
and  the  rest  may  be  filled  with  pure  sand  until  the  theorists 
give  us  a  figure  upon  which  they  all  agree, 
PROPORTIONS: — Another  part  of  the  same  number  dealing 
with  proportions  says  that  cement  1,  sand  1,  and  stone  2 
make  as  good  a  concrete  as  can  be  made  with  natural  cement; 
while  1,  2,  4  to  4£  is  as  poor  as  good  practice  will  permit. 
Portland  at  1,  3,  6  "  is  sufficiently  good  for  ordinary  con- 
struction;" 1,  4,  8  for  plain  work. 

CINDER  CONCRETE  is  sometimes  used  for  basements;  and 
reinforced  floors  are  made  of  it  on  account  of  lightness,  but 
nowhere  is  it  as  good  as  stone. 

PRODUCTION: — The  cement  mills  could  not  turn  out  enough 
material  to  supply  the  demands  of  1902,  and  the  future  is 
likely  to  witness  even  a  more  extensive  use  of  concrete.  In 
the  U.  S.  the  production  of  natural  cement  was  from  8,000,000 
to  9,000,000  bbls,— in  1902,  about  9,600,000.  In  1906,  4,055,797. 
The  Portland  is  rapidly  displacing  it.  The  following  figures 
showing  the  production  of  Am.  Portland  only  are  worthy  of 
note: 
Year  Bbl  Year  Bbls  Year  Bbls 

1882 85,000      1892 547,440      1901 12,711,225 

1884 100,090      1894 798,757      1902 20,864,078 

1886 150,000      1896 1,543,023      1905 35,246,812 

1888 250,000      1898 3,692,284      1906 46,463,424 

1890 335,000       1900 8,482,020      1912 82,000,000 

DRILLING  HOLES: — A  large  number  of  \\"  holes  were 
drilled  in  the  hardened  concrete  of  No.  7  to  hold  steel  cols. 
They  are  29"  deep,  and  2  men  with  a  hand  drill  cut  7  in  a 
day.  Some  at  23"  were  cut  at  the  rate  of  10  per  day. 

COST  OP  TABLE: — The  water-table  of  No.  7  and  the  other 
buildings  of  the  plant  is  made  of  concrete  cast  in  a  form.  It 
costs  about  40c  per  cf.  Stone  costs  $1.25  and  upwards.  The 
concrete  runs  clear  through  the  wall  and  takes  the  place  of 
the  brick,  while  stone  is  usually  only  8"  wide.  The  setting  cost 


58  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

about  13c  per  cf,  but  stone  also  requires  to  be  set.  Labor  was 
.20,  sand  .01,  stone  .05,  cement  .10,  or  a  total  of  36c,  but  a 
leeway  of  a  few  cents  is  desirable.  Of  course,  a  small  quantity 
would  cost  more,  as  the  same  forms  are  required  for  100  ft 
as  for  1,000;  and  angles  require  more  labor  than  long  straight 
walls. 

The  water-table  was  a  complete  success,  hard  as  a  rock  and 
as  smooth  as  the  boards  on  the  inside  of  the  forms. 

AULD  LANG  SYNE: — We  have  republican  and  democratic 
waves,  conservative  successes  and  liberal  triumphs  in  the 
political  field;  and  it  sometimes  seems  that  waves  come  in 
building  as  well  as  in  other  spheres.  One  of  the  first  jobs  I 
got  as  an  apprentice  was  to  put  up  2  long  lines  of  studs 
covered  on  the  inside  with  boards  about  a  foot  apart.  Then 
the  concrete  was  poured  in  and  the  finished  wall  appeared 
after  the  boarding  was  taken  away.  About  the  same  time,  in 
the  same  place,  a  stone  contractor  became  tired  of  stone  and 
took  to  concrete  for  everything, — door  and  window  sills, 
,mouldings,  and  the  walls  of  his  buildings  clear  to  the  roof. 
But  stone  still  survives. 

Now  we  are  in  the  midst  of  another  revival.  Stone,  in 
spite 'of  machinery,  nas  risen  to  a  high  price,  and  builders 
begin  to  look  around  for  a  substitute.  They  find  in  concrete 
and  terra-cotta.  and  if  properly  used  both  serve  as  a  check 
on  the  stone  mason.  The  danger  is  that  concrete  will  be  put 
to  unwarranted  uses. 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  buildings  are  now  so  common  as 
to  attract  little  attention. 

CONCRETE   FLOORS        • 

On  No.  2  there  were  1,150  sq  yds  of  floor  with  a  2"  concrete 
base  and  a  \"  top-dressing.  The  base  was  1,  2,  5.  Without 
the  top-dressing  there  were  64  cy.  A  6"  bed  of  cinders  was 
first  laid  down,  watered  and  tamped. 

MATERIAL: — 100  bbls  American  and  Imported  Portland.  I 
did  not  keep  an  exact  account  of  the  stone,  but  the  ordinary 
rules  for  concrete  will  give  the  quantity  closely  enough,  say, 
75  tons.  Sand  about  32  cy.  Labor  was  35c  an  hour  for  1  mai\ 
and  ordinary  wages  of  $1.50  to  $1.75  for  laborers.  The  labor 


CONCRETE  59 

ran  to  $300:  cement,  $345;  stone,  $82.50;  sand,  $22,  a  total  of 
$748.50,  or  close  to  66c  per  sq  yd.  There  is  nothing  allowed 
for  tools,  hose,  etc,  in  this  or  the  other  concrete  figures. 

PRICE: — By  the  sq  yd,  sand  and  stone  were  lOc;  cement,  30c; 
labor  26c.  This  price  is  too  close  to  figure  on  with  safety, 
as  accidents  sometimes  happen.  Of  course,  2"  thick  does 
not  take  so  much  material  as  4. 

For  a  floor  of  this  kind  5"  thick,  the  usual  allowance  is 
$1  to  $1.25,  depending  upon  wages,  price  of  cement,  etc.  All 
the  cement  walks  around  No.  9  were  laid  for  $1.35,  and  the 
price  was  low  as  cement  was  $2.75  per  bbl.  In  spite  of  the 
high  price  of  the  imported  cement  the  floors  of  No.  2  went 
down  reasonably  cheap.  The  labor  included  the  wheeling  of 
rubbish  and  the  tamping  of  cinders.  One  bbl  of  cement  laid 
100  sq  ft;  but  that  was  for  only  2£"  thick.  A  trade  publica- 
tion at  hand  gives  1  bbl  to  75  sq  ft. 

GUTTERS: — But  again  I  know  of  a  small  building  erected 
for  a  cow-stable  where  6"  floors  cost  about  $1.70  per  sq.  yd. 
Gutters  had  to  be  formed  in  several  places,  and  special  work 
of  that  kind  soon  runs  into  extra  time.  Allow  from  15  to  20c 
per  If  for  these. 

BASEMENTS  with  a  large  surface  are  easier  to  put  down 
than  sidewalks,  say,  about  25c  less  per  sq  yd  for  them. 

QUANTITY: — It  is  easy  enough  to  estimate  floors,  sidewalks, 
etc,  for  a  special  thickness,  as  we  have  only  to  get  the  number 
of  cy  and  add  the  top-dressing.  The  dressing  is  sometimes 
1  of  cement  to  1  of  sand  in  the  specification,  but  seldom  in 
the  floor.  It  is  easy  enough  to  get  at  the  number  of  cy  in  the 
dressing,  and  the  quantity  of  cement  can  be  found  at  3.8  cf 
in  a  bbl.  The  labor  on  dressing  will  run  to  about  14c  per  sq 
yd  at  the  rate  of  wages  given  for  No.  2.  Of  course,  the  labor 
on  a  thin  floor  of  2",  for  example,  is  more  in  proportion  than 
for  4  or  6.  The  same  leveling  and  top-dressing  have  to  be 
done  in  both  cases. 

THICKNESS:— For  each  additional  1"  in  thickness  add  18c 
per  sq  yd  to  a  concrete  floor. 

FOR  HOISTING  to  an  upper  floor  or  roof,  take  the  figure 
given  on  page  48,  divide  by  36,  for  inches  in  a  cy,  then  mult 


60 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


the  quotient  by  the  thickness  of  floor  in  inches.  Thus,  a 
floor  on  the  fourth  story  4"  thick,  put  at  $1.35  on  the  ground 
would  be  $1.51: 

A  cu  yd  on  first  floor 50c  extra 

On  the  next  3  floors 90c  extra 


$1.40 

Dividing  by  36  to  get  the  cost  per  inch  of  a  sq  yd  we  have 
4c,  or  a  total  of  16c  extra  per  sq  yd  for  a  4"  floor. 

SURFACING  OF  FLOORS,  ETC 

Allow  concrete  material  as  per  list,  and  add  for  top  of  floor. 

Sqyds 

100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 
100 

No  contractor  would  exceed  the  quantities  of  cement  given, 
but  the  exact  sand  allowance  given  should  be  increased  about 
5£  for  waste,  etc.  Packed  bbl.=4  bags  Portland,  allowed. 
CEMENT  BASE: — A  cement  base  about  fxlO"  was  formed 
all  through  the  basement  of  No.  2.  The  price  ran  to  about 
12c  per  If,  I  think,  although  no  record  of  the  time  was  kept. 
But  a  contractor  would  not  take  such  a  base  for  less  than 
18c,  including  his  profit, — and  on  small  rooms  20c  would  not 
be  too  much. 

SPREADING  STONE  : — For  spreading  stone  or  gravel  allow 
6  to  8c.  by  hand  and  2c  by  machine  per  cu  yd  with  labor  at 
;.  per  hour. 


Proportion             Thickness          Cement  bbls 

Sand  yds 

1  to  1                    J 

v            6.6 

.9 

1  to  1J 

r           5.5 

1.2 

to  2                    I"                    4.6 

1.3 

:  to  2j 

r           4.0 

1.4 

to  1 

10.0 

1.4 

to  1£ 

8.1 

1.7 

to  2 

7.0 

2.0 

to2J 

.6.0 

2.1 

to  1                     ] 

13.0 

1.8 

to  1^ 

I"                  10.8 

2.3 

to  2                    ] 

9.2 

2.6 

to  2$ 

L"                    8.0 

2.8 

CHAPTEE  IV 

STONEWORK 

RUBBLE 

MEASUREMENT: — Measurement  is  taken  only  by  the  cf  or 
cy.  Perches  and  cords  are  out  of  date.  Beware  of  perches. 
Some  of  them  contain  164  and  others  25  cf. 

Rubble  is  often  measured  by  counting  the  corners  twice, 
and  making  no  deduction  for  openings,  just  as  with  brick- 
work. Here  we  shall  abide  by  net  measurement  so  that  an 
accurate  bill  of  material  can  be  taken  directly  from  the 
original  estimate,  no  matter  how  many  or  varied  the  openings 
or  corners  may  be.  It  naturally  takes  a  little  more  raw  ma- 
terial for  angles  than  for  straight  work,  but  this  does  not 
count  enough  to  justify  the  old  style  of  measurement.  Even 
when  a  wall  is  less  than  16"  thick  it  is  best  to  take  the 
actual  contents  and  allow  extra  for  labor. 
QUANTITY:— Allow  2,900  Ibs  of  stone  to  the  cy  of  masonry 
in  the  wall.  The  owner  of  a  Nebraska  quarry  writes  me 
that  his  railroad  customers  say  that  it  takes  from  3,000  to 
3,200  Ibs.  An  Omaha  mason  gives  the  same  figure.  Some- 
thing depends  upon  the  stone.  Thin  stone  with  more  joints 
make  up  in  mortar  for  less  weight  required.  "  On  small 
stones  about  one-third  of  the  mass  will  be  mortar;  large 
stones  one-fifth  to  one-fourth."  The  C.  &  N.  W.  R.  R.  finds 
2,700  Ibs  enough  for  a  yd  in  the  wall,  but  the  stone  is  of  good 
quality.  The  ordinary  Chicago  allowance  is  13,000  Ibs  to  128 
cf,  or  2,742  Ibs  to  the  cy  of  finished  wall. 

Good  work  requires  what  is  colloquially  known  as  "  two- 
man  rubble," — that  is,  stone  too  heavy  for  one  man  to  lift — 
"  one-man  rubble  "  is  fit  only  for  cheap  work.  It  would  not 
be  accepted  on  government  buildings.  The  raw  material  is 
worth  about  50c  per  cy  less  than  the  other. 
WEIGHT: — As  with  sand  and  crushed  stone  it  is  almost 
obligatory  for  a  contractor  to  take  rubble  by  weight  instead 
of  measurement  on  account  of  freight  and  hauling  charges; 

61 


62  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

and  it  is  therefore  worth  remembering  in  case  a  specification 
calls  for  granite  or  some  specially  heavy  stone  that  an  extra 
allowance  would  be  necessary.  Granite  or  limestone  runs  at 
least  20  Ibs  heavier  to  the  cf  than  sandstone,  but  granite  is 
seldom  used  for  rubble, — at  least  in  prairie  states. 
MORTAR: — The  proportion  of  mortar  given  by  one  writer  is 
to  coarse  rubble  not  dressed,  33  to  40%;  roughly  dressed,  25 
to  30%;  well  dressed  and  coursed,  15  to  20%.  With  stone  at 
150  Ibs  to  the  cf,  allow  2,700  Ibs  in  the  first  case,  3,040  in  the 
second,  and  3,440  in  the  third. 

QUANTITY: — For  ordinary  work  Trautwine  allows  6  at  the 
quarry  to  5  in  the  wall.  The  proportion  of  128  in  the  quarry 
to  100  in  the  wall  is  often  used,  and  on  400  or  500  cy  was 
recently  tested  in  Omaha  with  satisfactory  results.  In  case 
stone  is  not  bought  by  weight  this  will  serve  as  a  measure  of 
quantities.  According  to  the  same  authority  1  cy  of  stone 
when  broken  occupies  1.9  cy  when  perfectly  loose,  or  1.75 
when  piled  up. 

PRICE: — From  $5  to  $6.50  per  cy.  Midway  is  a  fair  price 
for  ordinary  work  in  Am.  Portland  with  wages  at  55c  to  60c. 
The  heavy  wall  that  runs  around  the  west  side  of  the  Omaha 
post-office  was  let  to  the  contractor  at  a  rate  of  $6,  but  this 
included  his  profit.  It  is  laid  in  cement  and  is  an  excellent 
piece  of  work.  There  are  no  angles  to  speak  of,  and  no 
openings,  but  a  straight  wall  about  2'  thick. 
BEST  WORK:— The  higher  price,  listed  at  $6.50,  is  for  first 
class  work  laid  in  Portland  cement.  A  thick  wall  does  not 
cost  quite  so  much  as  a  thin  one,  as  the  face  work  is  the  same 
for  both.  Allow  a  difference  of  50c  per  cy.  If  wall  has  two 
faces  add  50c  per  cy. 

ENGINEERING  WORK  of  a  certain  class  costs  more.  Em- 
bankment and  abutment  walls  faced  with  squared  limestone 
filled  in  behind  with  dimension  stone  undressed,  run  here, 
hauling  included,  from  $10  to  $12  per  cy  all  through.  But 
the  face  stone,  if  taken  alone,  is  worth  per  cf  close  to  75c. 
Small  piers  squared  all  around  run  to  80c  per  cf.  Some 
local  work  of  both  classes  has  recently  been  done  at  these 
figures  with  Nebraska  stone  which  costs  25c  on  cars,  but 
profit  included.  If  Bedford  or  Kasota  stone  is  used  the  price 


STONEWORK  63 

is  increased,  as  the  raw  material  is  worth  50c. "  A  cheaper 
Bedford  stone  can  be  used  for  this  work  than  for  buildings. 
Heavy  limestone  caps  and  bases  roughly  squared  up  with  a 
hammer,  65c  per  cf  in  place  with  profit. 

BRIDGE: — The  limestone  masonry  in  the  piers  of  the  bridge 
across  the  Missouri  River  at  Plattsmouth,  Nebr. — 1879-80 — 
cost  the  R.  R.  Co.  $18.60  per  cy  exclusive  of  freight,  engineer- 
ing expenses  and  tools.  The  small  piers  ran  from  $12  to  $14. 
Work  of  this  kind  would  be  better  classed  under  cut  stone 
than  rubble. 

PRICE: — "One-man"  rubble  fob  Omaha  or  Lincoln  about 
$1.10;  "two-man,"  $1.20  per  ton. 

PRAIRIE  WORK:— There  is  little  rubble  used  in  this  terri- 
tory. It  is  safe  to  say  that  for  one  foundation  of  stone  there 
are  ninety-nine  of  brick,  usually  with  a  concrete  footing. 
Thus  it  is  that  our  surroundings  change.  During  a  long 
apprenticeship  of  five  years  and  for  one  year  afterwards  as 
a  journeyman  I  worked  on  and  saw  all  kinds  of  buildings  and 
never,  so  far  as  I  remember,  lifted  a  hammer  on  a  brick  one. 
Everything,  except  inside  partitions  and  a  few  factories,  is 
of  stone  in  the  town  of  Kirkcaldy,  with  a  population  of  20,000 
people,  and  there  are  no  anchors  on  the  joists.  The  walls 
are  built  thick  enough  to  stand.  The  walls  of  the  one-story 
cottage  I  lived  in  near  that  place  are  30"  thick  for  an  8' 
ceiling. 

SLOPES: — It  is  seldom  that  a  building  contractor  has  to 
line  a  slope  with  stone,  but  the  following  figures  from  "  The 
Engineering  News,"  New  York, N.  Y.,  will  be  of  interest.  They 
are  taken  from  actual  records.  The  maximum  thickness  of 
this  kind  of  work  is  10"  to  12";  minimum,  3"  to  4".  Stones 
must  be  12"  long.  Average  joints  are  1£";  if  £",  the  labor 
costs  twice  as  much.  Mortar  is  not  used.  With  U"  joints,  750 
cy  of  12"  were  laid,  each  laborer  laying  2£  cy  per  day  at  the 
beginning,  and  3  later  on.  Skilled  men  were  then  employed 
and  laid  5  cy  with  1  laborer  to  4  tradesmen.  Part  of  the  work 
was  then  sublet  at  50c  per  cy  to  men  who  had  been  laying 
5  cy;  from  that  time  on  they  laid  7.  On  rougher  work  skilled 
men  sometimes  lay  10  to  12. 


64  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SLOPES: —  On  another  contract  four  masons  and  four  laborers 
averaged  60  cy  in  10  hours.  With  material  delivered  at  $1.25 
to  $1.50  the  finished  work  is  worth  $1.75  to  $2.  The  time  at 
quarry  for  280  yds  was  1,000  hours  to  quarry  and  load;  this 
made  220  cy  in  the  wall.  The  teamsters  hauled  four  to  five 
loads  in  a  day,  a  distance  of  2£  miles.  Team  traveled  at 
rate  of  2£  miles  per  hour. 

On  another  contract  with  750  cy  six  trips  were  made  a 
distance  of  If  miles. 

CEMENT  MORTAR: — The  quantity  of  mortar  required  de- 
pends upon  the  quality  of  the  work  and  the  size  of  the  stone. 
Thin  stone  naturally  require  more  than  large  blocks 
Taking  the  figures  already  given,  33,  25,  15%  of  mortar,  we 
may  easily  arrive  at  the  quantities  for  the  various  propor- 
tions. Taking  cement  packed  we  have  in  Am.  Portland  about 
7  bbls  to  the  cy.  For  a  cy  of  cement  mortar  allow  as  follows, 
— the  figures  for  cement  being  in  bbls,  and  for  sand  in  yds: 

1  to  1,  4.2  cement  to  .6  sand;  1  to  2,  2.7,  .8;  1  to  3,  2,  .9; 
1  to  4,  1.7,  .95;  1  to  5,  1.3.  .97;  1  to  6.  1.2,  .98.  But  it 
must  be  remembered  that  when  cement  reaches  a  certain 
point  of  weakness  it  will  not  work,  and  what  is  gained  in 
material  is  more  than  lost  in  wages.  But  again,  a  mortar  of 
1  to  3  is  about  as  strong  as  we  ever  made,  no  matter  what 
is  specified;  1  to  1  is  rather  too  strong,  and  except  for  coping 
of  walls  and  such  work  it  is  not  really  necessary. 

Let  us  chose  for  illustration  a  coarse  undressed  rubble 
with  33%  of  mortar — and  if  filling  is  not  properly  done  with 
small  stones  a  careless  mason  can  easily  throw  in  one-third 
of  the  mass  in  mortar.  Taking  30  cy  we  require  10  cy  of 
mortar.  At  the  proportion  of  1  to  3  this  means  20  bbls  of 
cement  and  9  yds  of  sand  to  30  cy  of  masonry. 

At  1  to  5  for  the  same  quantity  of  masonry  13  bbls  and 
9.7,  or  practically  10  cy  of  sand. 

AVERAGE  ALLOWANCE: — Or  taking  the  second  class  of 
masonry  which  is  better  than  the  average,  we  have  25%  or 
one-fourth  of  the  total  in  mortar.  For  4  yds  of  wall  we  there- 
fore require  1  yd  of  mortar.  At  the  proportion  of  1  to  4, 
which  is  of  fair  quality,  1.7  bbls  of  cement  require  close  to 
1  yd  of  sand.  In  4  cy  we  have  108  cf,  so  that  for  aver 


STONEWORK  65 

work  allow  If  bbls  and  1  yd  to  every  100  cf  of  finished  wall. 
A  yd  of  sand  to  3|  cy  is  an  Omaha  allowance;  and  one-half 
bbl  of  cement  to  i  yd  of  rubble. 

LIME  MORTAR: — Lime  makes  one-fourth  to  one-fifth  more 
mortar  than  cement  as  it  swells  when  slacked;  for  this  reason 
the  cement  quantities  require  to  be  cut  down.  Some  allow 
one-fourth  bbl  to  cy, — one-third  is  safer.  Trautwine  gives  2 
bbls  to  100  cf,  but  this  is  too  much  unless  the  stone  is  thin 
and  small.  But  again,  we  run  across  lime  that  does  not  seem 
to  make  more  than  three-fourths  of  the  mortar  produced  from 
the  best  brands.  On  several  buildings  a  careful  account  of 
mortar  was  kept,  and  at  our  prices  cement  was  65c  and  lime 
55c  per  cy  of  wall. 

MORTAR  FOR  AVERAGE   RUBBLE 

One  and  three-quarter  bbls  Portland  and  1  yd  sand  to  100 
cf  of  finished  wall. 

One  and  one-half  bbls  good  lime  and  1  yd  sand  to  100  cf 
of  finished  wall. 

WATER: — For  making  rubble  mortar  the  Omaha  Water- 
Works  charges  8c  per  cy  for  water;  for  tempering  only,  3c. 
The  m'eter  rate  is  35c  per  1,000  gall  which  is  far  cheaper, — say 
one-third  the  price.  The  Chicago  rate  is  6c  for  128  cf. 

LABOR: — A  mason  and  laborer  will  lay  3  cy  of  ordinary 
rubble  in  an  8-hour  day;  and  on  some  kinds  of  walls  below 
ground,  5  to  6.  One  laborer  can  attend  2  masons  if  every- 
thing is  handy,  but  if  wheeling  is  required  it  takes  about 
man  to  man.  In  the  stone-cutting  yard  2  men  can  attend  10 
cutters. 

EXAMPLE: — On  a  building  recently  erected  500  cy  of  rubble 
cost  about  $1,000  for  labor.  Most  of  the  stones  had  to  be 
handled  with  a  derrick,  and  although  the  walls  were  thick 
and  straight  this  cost  probably  25c  extra.  On  another  build- 
ing with  120  yds  the  walls  were  short  and  the  cost  ran  to 
$2.50,  but  extra  time  was  required  on  the  angles.  Good  time 
can  be  made  with  a  derrick  if  all  the  stones  are  large,  but 
if  work  is  so  far  away  from  ground  that  large  and  small  have 


66  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  be  handled  this  way  it  costs  more.  A  fair  price  for  18  to 
20"  ordinary  work  is  $1.50.  Thick,  straight  walls  can  be 
done  for  less.  The  labor  is  not  exactly  in  proportion  to  the 
number  of  cy,  as  a  16"  wall  requires  2  faces  just  as  a  24" 
does;  and  the  filling  goes  in  faster  than  the  outside  work. 
Scaffolding  has  sometimes  to  be  allowed  if  walls  are  high. 

CUTTING: — In  8  hours  one  man  will  cut  and  square  about 
40  cf  of  large  limestone  blocks  for  bridge  and  pier  work,  and 
25  of  small  blocks.  Sandstone  costs  more  to  cut  than  lime- 
stone, as  it  wears  out  the  tools  sooner.  Unless  very  soft  it  is 
worth  10%  more  to  square  up.  There  is  no  sandstone  in 
Bedford,  Ind.;  "Bedford"  is  a  limestone. 

GRANITE: — Granite  rubble  would  cost  about  three  or  four 
times  as  much  as  limestone  here,  and  is  consequently  seldom 
seen.  The  following  figures  are  culled  from  the  appendix  of 
Baker's  work  on  Masonry — and  he  culled  them  from  the 
official  reports.  In  case  of  emergency  they  will  give  a  fair 
idea  cf  the  labor  on  granite.  For  trimmings,  about  25%  of 
the  cost  of  cut  stone  is  enough  to  set  in  wall. 

QUARRYING: — In  quarrying  rough  stone  allow  for  one  man 
eight-tenths  of  a  day  per  cy;  stone  to  be  cut  for  facework, 
2.6  days. 

CUTTING: — On  more  than  2,000  cy  near  New  York  it  was 
found  that  the  average  time  of  a  cutter  for  one  cy  was  36 
hours.  The  work  was  all  cut  into  headers  and  stretchers — 
2'x3',  and  2'x6'  with  a  rise  of  from  20"  to  26".  Round  coping 
required  more  work;  the  average  per  cy  was  50  hours  for 
one  man.  Keystones,  springers,  etc,  56  hours.  But  these 
figures  include  moving  stone,  sharpening  tools,  superintend- 
ence, etc.  Superintendence  was  5%;  sharpening  tools,  15; 
interest  on  sheds,  derricks,  etc,  1%;  new  tools  and  timber, 
1%;  handling  stone,,  30%  or  52%  in  all,  which  added  to  the 
total  wages  gives  the  complete  cost.  It  is  thus  seen  that 
half  the  cost  is  outside  of  cutting  proper. 
CUTTING: — On  another  contract  a  minimum  day's  work  was 
set  at  12  superficial  ft  on  a  total  of  118,383  cf ;  but  the  average 
for  beds  and  joints  reached  13.6'  per  man  per  day.  The 
average  ran  as  follows: 


STONEWORK  67 

Super  ft 

Beds  and  joints 13.6 

Pointed  work  with  margins : .     8.5 

Peen-hammered 6.15 

6-cut  patent-hammered   5.22 

8-cut  patent-hammered   4.24 

On  the  Croton  reservoir  a  minimum  day's  work  of  joints 
was  fixed  at  15  sq  ft  for  one  man,  but  with  draft  around  the 
edges  this  is  equal  to  17.7  sq  ft. 

The  average  day's  work  in  cutting  beds  to  lay  a  f "  joint  was 
18.7  sq  ft.  In  these  last  2  items  add  for  superintendence,  8%; 
sheds  and  tools,  7%;  sharpening  tools,  11%;  labor  moving 
stone,  10%;  drilling  off  rough  face,  4%;  making  a  total  of 
40%  to  be  added  to  cutting. 

POST  OFFICE: — The  finished  work  of  the  new  Omaha  post- 
office,  mouldings  included,  is  said  to  cost  $3  per  cf  fob,  cars. 

A  RED  MONUMENT  GRANITE  is  sold  at  $1.25,  and  a  pink, 
$1.35,  Clayton,  N.  Y.,  is  sizes  up  to  20  cf.  From  these  prices 
for  building  blocks  allow  up  to  $2  for  blocks  from  20  cf  to  75. 
SETTING  : — Add  20  to  25£  to  cost  or  cut  granite. 
MARBLE: — A  good  grade  of  building  white  stock  is  $1.50, 
Phila.  The  finished  work  is  from  $3  to  $5,  unset,  per  cf. 
Hauling  and  setting  about  50c  extra.  Mausoleum  work,  $4.50 
to  $8.00  per  cf. 

ASHLAR  AND  CUT  STONE 

MEASUREMENT: — Take  the  exact  cubic  contents  of  a  wall 
and  order  the  stone  from  the  quarry  on  this  basis.  The 
quarryman  allows  for  waste  in  cutting.  If  100  cf  are  ordered 
the  block  is  sent  large  enough  to  be  squared  to  this  size.  With 
such  a  stone  as  Bedford  there  is  little  chance  of  waste  if 
sizes  cut  to  advantage.  The  ordinary  method  of  measurement 
allows  openings  under  a  certain  size,  doubles  angles  and  so 
forth,  but  "  The  Building  Estimator  "  in  general  is  not  based 
upon  this  old  system.  In  rock-faced  work  allow  2"  fextra  for 
projections  beyond  the  face  of  the  wall;  if  the  stone  rests 
8"  on  the  wall  this  means  10"  material.  Projections  are 
usually  about  1",  but  a  margin  has  to  be  allowed  for  safety. 
PRICE: — Bedford  is  delivered  fob  Omaha  for  68  to  70c  per 
cf.  Blue  and  buff  are  commonly  used.  Blue  is  better  than 


68  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

buff.  There  is  a  hard  Royal  Blue  which  costs  the  same,  or  a 
trifle  extra,  but  is  about  20%  more  expensive  to  cut.  It  is 
used  for  long  lintels,  steps,  etc,  as  the  common  Bedford  is 
too  soft. 

The  cut  stone  over  an  average  building  may  be  taken  as 
$1.50  per  cf,  but  something  depends  upon  the  state  of  the 
yards.  In  busy  times  $1.60  is  asked.  These  figures  include 
the  contractor's  profit,  but  not  setting,  which  is  worth  about 
25c  extra,  and  5c  for  pointing,  or  30c  per  cf. 

On  an  Omaha  house  finished  complete,  with  about  16,000  cf 
of  broken  ashlar  from  Silverdale,  Kan.,  including  mouldings, 
battlements,  turrets,  and  all  stonecutting,  3  contractors 
allowed  from  $1.45  to  $1.50  per  cf  set,  but  another  got  the 
contract,  so  that  his  price  was  lower.  The  raw  material  fob 
Omaha  cost  about  50c  per  cf. 

LIBRARY: — On  a  library  built  in  an  eastern  Iowa  town, 
there  were  16,000  cf  of  Bedford  stone  estimated  by  the  suc- 
cessful contractor  at  $25,000  set  in  the  wall.  After  deduct- 
ing about  $4,000  for  carving,  the  complete  job  was  only 
$1.31  per  cf  which  is  too  low.  Freight  is,  of  course,  lower 
at  that  point  than  here. 

Another  library  in  South  Omaha  was  estimated  at  about 
$1.90  per  cf. 

The  Bedford  stone  Commercial  Nat'l  Bank,  Omaha,  was 
estimated  set  at  $2.25  by  an  unsuccessful  bidder;  it  was  prob- 
ably done  for  about  $2,  in  place.  But  better  prices  were  ob- 
tained when  it  was  built.  As  it  is  polished,  the  rate  would 
now  be  lower  on  account  of  saws.  But  rubbed  work  is  worth 
about  20c  per  sq  ft  extra  if  straight;  and  35c  if  circular.  If 
more  than  one  side  is  finished  the  cost  is  naturally  increased. 
If  coursed  or  range  work  is  used  instead  of  broken  or  random 
ashlar,  20c  per  cf  may  be  deducted.  The  setting  is  much 
easier. 

MEASUREMENT: — But  ashlar  is  usually  taken  by  the  sq  ft 
instead*  of  by  the  cf.  The  price  depends  upon  the  number  of 
openings  and  the  size  of  the  reveals.  If  they  are  8"  the  stone 
must  be  much  thicker  than  if  4;  and  if  openings  are  close 
together  a  thinner  stone  can  not  be  much  used  between.  Rock- 
faced  of  average  thickness  is  worth  $1  to  $1.25  broken  in 


STONEWORK  69 

"Crazy  Quilt"  fashion;  90c  broken  but  squared;  and  80c 
coursed  from  8  to  12"  high  in  4  and  8". 

All  of  the  foregoing  figures  are  based  on  Bedford  stone. 
The  setting  and  pointing  are  not  included.  The  setting  of 
broken  ashlar  costs  about  15c  per  sq  ft.  On  a  large,  straight 
job  without  delay  lOc  is  enough,  but  residences  with  waiting 
on  bricklayers,  etc,  are  worth  about  20c. 

SETTING: — For  heavy  fine  fronts  allow  18%  of  cost  of  stone 
for  setting. 

LOCAL  STONE: — For  local  stone  the  Bedford  figures  may 
be  cut  from  25  to  30%  according  to  the  hammerwork,  but  the 
setting  remains  the  same. 

CUT  STONE 

For  Bedford  water-table,  door  and  window  sills,  courses, 
bands,  and  in  general  the  whole  of  the  cut-stone  bill  on  an 
average  brick  building,  allow  as  per  table,  delivered  either  on 
the  cars  or  at  the  building  in  cities  like  Omaha  and  Lincoln. 
But  when  there  is  an  excess  of  mouldings,  pediments,  carving, 
and  so  forth,  care  must  be  taken  to  make  a  due  allowance. 
Setting  is  about  10%  of  the  cost  of  the  stone  cut  and  delivered. 
COLUMNS: — For  circular  cols  up  to  20"  diam,  or  so, 
find  the  cubical  contents  at  the  widest  part,  square  before 
turning  is  done,  and  mult  by  $1.50  per  cf,  not  set.  Setting 
about  75c  per  cf.  Thus  a  col  18"xl8"xlO',  square,  would  con- 
tain 22£  cf  at  $1.50,  or  $33.75  turned.  Add  freight. 
PAVING: — The  large  4"  flagstones  around  No.  3  were  laid 
complete  for  37c  per  sq  ft;  4"  is  now  worth  35c  laid;  6",  60c. 
Saws  now  reduce  the  price  although  wages  are  higher.  If 
laid  on  I  beams  allow  8  to  lOc  extra  per  sq  ft,  as  laying  is  more 
difficult.  No.  2  stone  is  used. 

BEDFORD  STONE   LF  PRICES 

Description                                 Size  Rate  cu  ft   CostTwith  profit 

Window  Sills 5"x  7"  $1 .75  $0.43 

Window  Sills 5"xll"  .70  .65 

Window  Sills 7"x  1"  .70  .58 

Window  Sills 7"xll"  .65  .89 

Window  Sills 8"x  8"  .60  .72 

Door  Sills..  8"xll"  .50  .92 


70  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Bedford  Stone  LF  Prices— Continued 

Description  Size  Rate  cu  ft     Cost  with  profit 

Door  Sills 8"xl5"  $1.45  $1.21      ' 

Door  Sills 8"xl9"  1.40  1.48 

Lintels 4"xlO"  1 .65  .46 

Lintels 8"xl2"  1.50  1.00 

Water  Table 6"xlO"  1.55  .65 

Water  Table 8"xl2"  1 . 50  1 .00 

Coping 4"xll"  1 . 70  .52 

Coping 4"xl5"  1 . 55  .65 

Coping 4"xl9"  1 .50  .80 

Coping 8"xl5"  1.45  1.21 

Coping 8"xl9"  1.40  1.48 

Steps 7"xl4"  1.50  1.02 

•Curbing  (See  Chap.  VI). 

MORTAR: — The  backing  of  ashlar,  whether  brick  or  rubble, 
requires  the  common  allowance  of  material  given  under  these 
headings.  With  courses  8"  high  less  mortar  is  necessary  than 
with  common  brick;  and  when  the  courses  are  18"  and  of  a 
proportionate  length  it  is  clear  that  the  quantity  of  mortar  is 
decreased.  In  such  a  case  make  a  reasonable  deduction  from 
the  allowance. 

"  With  f  to  *"  joints,"  says  Baker,  "  and  12"  to  20"  courses 
there  will  be  about  2  cf  per  cy;  with  larger  blocks  and  closer 
joints  1  cf  of  mortar  to  1  cy  of  masonry.  Laid  in  1  to  2 
mortar  ordinary  ashlar  requires  £  to  £  of  a  bbl  of  cement  per 
cy  of  masonry."  A  given  number  of  cf  of  mortar  being 
determined  for  a  yd  of  finished  work  it  is  easy  by  referring  to 
the  rubble  table  to  allow  cement,  lime,  and  sand,  according  to 
the  proportion  desired;  and  lime,  it  will  be  remembered,  makes 
more  mortar  than  cement. 

Another  authority  says  that  ashlar  in  courses  of  20  to  32", 
and  joints  of  1  to  f,  will  have  from  5  to  6%  of  mortar.  With 
ordinary  rubble  running  from  25  to  33%  of  mortar  it  is 
-evident  that  the  outside  facing  of  the  wall  requires  less  than 
the  backing,  and  deductions  should  be  made  where  nicety  is 
required.  Nicety  is  not  usually  required,  but  the  advantage 
of  remembering  the  decreased  quantity  for  the  facework  is 
that  when  the  general  bill  of  material  is  made  out  the  usual 
.allowance  is  cut. 

LABOR: — Since  the  introduction  of  saws  rock-faced  work 
•costs  about  10%  more  than  plain-faced.  With  hand  labor  it 


STONEWORK  71 

it  cheaper  to  make  rock-faced  sills,  water-tables,  etc.  But  be- 
fore a  tool  is  lifted  rock-faced  work  requires  2"  more  in 
thickness,  and  stone  has  to  be  paid  for.  Other  things  being 
equal,  in  the  neighborhood  of  saws  use  plain  work;  in  the 
country  make  it  rock-faced. 

With  saws  and  moulders  labor  is  reduced  to  one-half,  and  in 
some  classes  of  work  to  one-fifth,  of  its  former  price.  By 
hand  a  mason  will  cut  about  20  sq  ft  of  broken  ashlar  in  8 
hours,  and  25  of  coursed;  but  when  saws  are  used  it  is  cut  to 
thickness  and  then  merely  pitched  by  hand,  so  that  100'  can 
be  done.  Polished  stone  is  even  cheaper,  and  a  man  can 
joint  and  prepare  125  sq  ft.  For  plain  cut  stone  allow  25  to 
35c  per  cf  for  labor.  Finials,  capitals,  carving  and  such  work 
must  be  allowed  separately  in  addition  to  the  regular  price. 
There  is  no  set  rule  for  estimating  special  work,  as  no  two 
pieces  are  alike.  The  amount  of  labor  must  be  judged  and 
added  to  price  of  stone.  And  accidents  happen:  I  once  saw 
a  splendid  finial  cut  for  a  Gothic  church.  It  was  about  6' 
long,  and  the  foreman  did  all  the  work  himself  as  he  could 
not  trust  the  best  of  his  men.  After  the  carving  was  done 
he  mounted  a  trestle  and  started  to  drill  a  hole  for  an  iron 
rod.  When  he  got  down  about  2'  the  drill  came  out  at  the 
side. 

ACCIDENTS  HAPPEN: — That  is  one  danger  of  estimators 
and  all  calculators.  A  great  man  designed  a  fine  yacht  for 
Queen  Victoria.  He  made  out  his  elaborate  calculations,  and 
then  in  a  moment  of  absent-mindedness  added  the  year  184S, 
or  whatever  it  was.  The  yacht  was  built,  but  it  rolled  like  a 
tub  in  a  storm. 
TRACERY  has  to  be  estimated  from  details. 

LETTERS  AND  HOLES: — Sunk  letters  from  4  to  6"  high 
are  worth  from  50c  to  70c  each;  raised  75c  to  85c.  Holes  for 
iron  railings,  10c:  leaded,  5c  to  6c  per  Ib  for  lead. 
HAULING: — Hauling  from  cars,  say  1  mile,  50c  per  ton.  As 
a  full  load  is  2  tons  this  means  $1  per  load,  which  is  the  al- 
lowance under  ordinary  circumstances.  But  loading  and  un- 
loading are  the  same  for  any  given  haul. 

WASHING  AND  POINTING  all  the  smooth  surf  of  No.  3, 
laid  in  a  hard  Wyoming  stone,  cost  1.6c  per  sq  ft,  but  the 


72  THE     NEW      BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

blocks  were  large.  This  is  too  low  a  figure  to  use  for  work 
now,  especially  with  broken  ashlar  and  short  runs.  Bids  were 
recently  made  to  wash  and  point  a  building  for  24c,  and  an- 
other building  was  figured  at  3c.  The  joints  have  to  be  raked 
out,  pointed,  and  then  the  whole  surf  washed.  A  fair 
price  is  3c  after  openings  are  deducted.  The  openings  of 
No.  3  are  included  in  the  surf. 

FOR  DIAMOND  SAND  BLASTING  to  clean  the  brownstone, 
granite,  marble,  limestone  fronts  of  old  bldgs,  allow  6  to  7c 
per  sq  ft. 

LA  FARGE  CEMENT  is  often  specified  for  stone-setting  as 
it  does  not  stain  the  stone.  It  costs  about  $5  a  bbl. 

The  following  useful  figures  are  taken  from  "-Engineering 
Contracting," 

DATA  ON  CUT  STONE  WORK 

"  The  walls  for  the  building  of  the  Government  Printing 
Office  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  standard  U.  S.  work,  were  built 
of  red  bricks  trimmed  with  red  sandstone  from  a  quarry 
near  Longmeadow,  Mass.  The  cost  of  this  stone,  ready  to 

set,  was  as  follows: 

Per  cu  ft 

Plain  Ashlar    $1.80-$2.00 

Moulded    courses    2.00-  2.40 

Sills    2.00-  2.40 

Lintels    1.95-  2.15 

Cols    • 3.00 

In  computing  these  prices,  all  molded  and  curved  or  ir- 
regular pieces  were  squared  out  to  the  minimum  containing 
rectangular  sides.  The  cost  of  setting  etc.,  aver  for  all 
classes,  was  as  follows:  per  cu  ^ 

Handling    $0.133 

Setting 179 

Cutting  (corrections,  etc) 018 

Pointing    041 

Mortar 012 

Miscellaneous   materials    .  026 


Total $0.409 


STONEWORK  73 

The  rather  high  cost  is  due  to  the  care  with  which  the 
joints  were  caulked,  and  to  the  fact  that  there  was  not  enough 
stone  to  be  placed  to  justify  the  purchase  of  a  special  plant 
to  handle  it.  Some  of  the  wages  paid  for  8  hour  day  on 
this  job  were  as  follows.  Laborers,  $1.50;  stone  masons, 
$4;  stone  cutters,  $4." 

Figuring  up  the  contents  of  stone  either  by  the  decimal 
or  duodecimal  system  is  rather  tedious  work.  David  Wil- 
liams Co.  sells  for  $2.00  "  The  Expeditious  Measurer,"  with 
all  sizes  given  in  cubic  feet. 

COST  OF  BEDFORD  STONE. 

At  Indiana  quarries  the  cost  of  the  blocks  is  about  30 
cents  per  cu  ft.  Add  freight  to  point  desired.  The  rate  to 
Omaha,  for  example,  is  40  cents  per  cu  ft.  For  the  plainest 
work  add  20  to  25  cents  for  sawing  to  get  cost  price. 

In  general,  plain  work  set  in  building  should  be  figured  at 
$1.75  where  the  freight  amounts  to  40  cents;  and  molded 
work  $2.00  including  profit.  This  is  for  the  ordinary  stone. 
For  the  hardest  Bedford  add  an  extra  allowance  of  25  per 
cent. 

GRANITE  COLUMNS. 

On  page  425  there  is  a  note  about  some  unpolished  gran- 
ite cols.  To  estimate  them  square  at  the  widest  part,  mul- 
tiply by  the  height  to  get  the  cu  ft,  and  allow  $4.00  per  cu  it 
unset.  In  the  case  noted  the  cols,  were  3  x  3  x  20=180  cu 
ft  x  $4.00=$720  each,  plus  $100  for  taking  off  the  cars  and 
setting  where  the  derrick  is  close  to  the  tracks.  Over  a 
score  of  columns  at  $820  each  made  up  a  total  that  was  not 
hard  to  figure;  yet  half  that  amount  in  separate,  detailed 
pieces  of  ornamental  iron  might  easily  have  taken  a_week. 


CHAPTER  Y 

BRICKWORK 

MEASUREMENT: — Some  years  ago  the  Omaha  masons  issued 
their  rules  of  measurement  which  are  practically  the  same  as 
those  of  St,  Louis  and  Chicago.  They  are  excellent  rules  in 
their  way, — but  I  should  not  like  to  be  an  owner  and  let  my 
work  to  a  contractor  by  the  1,000  at  a  high  price,  especially 
if  it  consisted  of  angles,  pilasters,  ledgings  and  so  forth. 
"When  estimating  a  building  few  brick-masons  pay  any  atten- 
tion to  printed  rules.  They  are  kept  for  railroad  engineers 
and  other  innocents.  It  would  merely  fill  up  space  to  print 
them  over  again.  The  system  followed  in  this  book  is  the 
same  as  for  stonework, — take  the  exact  cubical  contents,  but 
allow  "  wall  measure,"  or  22*  bricks  to  the  cf. 

EXPLANATION:— In  the  Chicago  building  code  there  is  an 
explanation  of  the  rules  to  reassure  the  public.  Cornices, 
pilasters,  projections,  and  so  forth  cost  much  more  than  plain 
work,  and  instead  of  charging  a  higher  price  for  each  piece 
separately  the  charge  is  simply  made  in  the  measurement.  It 
is  easier  to  estimate  a  building  on  this  basis  and  it  is  just 
as  fair,  for  the  rate  per  1,000  would  be  greater  if  openings 
were  deducted  and  cornices  measured  as  plain  work.  But 
while  this  is  true  in  theory  most  contractors  now  cut  out 
openings  and  take  actual  contents.  Competition  is  toe  keen 
to  do  otherwise.  I  prefer  this  method  because  the  bill  of 
material  can  be  taken  directly  from  the  original  figures  with- 
out a  new  calculation  to  see  how  many  feet,  windows,  corners, 
cornices,  etc,  make  up.  Buildings  differ  so  much  in  their 
openings  and  other  features  that  it  is  best  to  take  only  the 
actual  contents  of  the  wall  and  allow  so  much  more  per  1,000 
lor  difficult  work. 

TRADE  RULE 

If  there  are  many  belts  of  cut  stone,  terra-cotta,  etc,  they 
should  be  deducted,  or  too  many  actual  brick  may  be  sent 

to  building. 

74 


BRICKWORK  75 

But  there  is  a  trade  way  of  estimating  the  brick  in  a  wall 
that  all  contractors  use,  and  it  requires  a  word  of  explana- 
tion: The  method  does  not  give  the  number  of  actual  brick 
required,  but  the  number  in  "wall  measure,"  which  is  differ- 
ent from  actual  or  "  kiln  count."  It  Is  merely  a  trade  rule, 
a  short  cut,  a  labor-saving  device. 

The  Omaha  rule  is  the  same  as  that  of  Chicago: 

Every  superficial  ft  of  \  brick  thick  or  4J"  shall  count  1\  brick 
Every  superficial  ft  of  1  brick  thick  or  9"  shall  count  15  brick 
Every  superficial  ft  of  1$  brick  thick  or  13"  shall  count  22  £  brick 
Every  superficial  ft  of  2  brick  thick  or  17"  shall  count  30  brick 
Every  superficial  ft  of  1\  brick  thick  or  21"  shall  count  37$  brick 
Every  superficial  ft  of  3  brick  thick  or  25"  shall  count  45  brick 

It  all  depends  upon  the  size  of  the  brick.  It  is  possible  to 
make  them  to  fit  the  foregoing  table,  but  it  is  not  done,  and 
thus  the  rule  is  a  rule  of  thumb  and  not  a  rule  of  science. 
But  it  works,  and  it  is  hardly  worth  while  trying  to  change  it. 


RULE  FOR  GETTING  NUMBER  OF  BRICK 

Find  the  number  of  actual  sq  ft  in  a  wall,  and  mult 
by  the  number  in  table  for  a  wall  of  that  thickness. 
THICKNESS: — The  building  ordinances  now  get  the  thick- 
ness of  a  brick  wall  mixed  up.  Sometimes  it  is  even  and 
sometimes  odd — 8,  12,  16,  30,  24,  and  so  on,  adding  4"  at  each 
advance.  Again  it  is  9,  13,  17,  21,  25,  29,  adding  as  before 
but  starting  on  another  basis,  which,  after  all,  is  nearer  the 
exact  thickness.  A  9"  wall  is  one  brick  thick,  has  two  brick 
in  width,  and  15  to  the  sq  ft  in  wall  measure. 

ACTUAL  QUANTITY:— According  to  the  table,  22£  brick  are 
required  for  a  cf.  As  a  matter  of  fact  17,  with  large  joints,  are 
enough  of  the  national  size,  which  is  becoming  the  standard, — 
2^x4x8  J.  The  contractor  is  not  paid  for  the  larger  number, 
for  competition  is  keen  enough  to  prevent  this.  When  mak- 
ing up  his  bid  he  does  not  estimate  the  full  labor  and  mortar 
separate  from  the  brick,  and  the  difference  between  wall 
measure  and  kiln  count  goes  for  these  items,  along  with  a 
certain  allowance  of  money. 

In  some  localities  the  advance  is  made  by  7  instead  of  7*, 
but  what  is  the  advantage?    A  cf  of  wall  does  not  require  21, 


76  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

so  that  kiln  count  is  not  found.  Even  6  are  usually  too  many, 
and  besides,  a  new  calculation  would  have  to  be  made  for 
mortar  which  would  mean  extra  labor.  An  estimator  never 
troubles  about  mortar  until  the  contract  is  signed.  And  if 
the  method  of  the  outsider  were  followed,  if  the  exact  number 
had  to  be  obtained,  how  would  he  proceed  when  the  brick 
were  2f"  thick  instead  of  2£"?  He  would  have  to  obtain  the 
number  to  the  cf.  The  trade  rule  is  safe  with  any  size. 

A  convenient  multiple  is  also  found  in  7$,  because  with  15 
and  30  and  the  ease  with  which  the  intermediate  figures  are 
turned  to  decimals,  it  is  better  than  either  7  or  6. 

"WALLS  OF  9": — Most  of  the  short  cuts  in  arithmetic  we 
learned  at  school  are  forgotten  because  we  never  use  them, — 
one  I  remember  because  I  always  use  it  in  estimating  brick- 
work. Take  a  9"  wall,  or  1  brick  thick,  100'  long,  12  high. 
This  means  1,200  sq  ft,  which  at  15  brick  equals  18,000  in 
wall  measure.  Instead  of  multiplying  by  15  it  is  easier  to  add 
a  cipher  to  the  1,200,  or  any  number  of  sq  ft,  put  the  half 
below  and  add  the  two  together.  It  is  easier  to  mult  by  30 
than  by  either  24  or  28,  multiples  of  6  and  7. 

EXAMPLES: — A  few  examples  may  give  a  little  more  con- 
fidence to  those  who  have  never  figured  brickwork:  A  wall 
200'x20  high,  2  brick  or  17"  thick,  contains  120,000  brick  wall 
measure;  130x13x9",  25,350;  40x18x3  brick,  or  25",  32,400. 

ESTIMATING  BRICK  IN  A  BASEMENT 
Or  taking  the  accompanying  symmetrical  basement  plan 
for  an  illustration,  we  have  around  the  walls  110'  in  even 
figures.  The  footings  are  15"  high — two  bottom  courses  29", 
the  next  course  25",  the  next  21",  and  the  top  course  17". 
The  two  bottom  courses  contain  110x6"x29",  or  55  sq  ft  of  a 
wall  29"  thick.  In  this  thickness  there  are  52£  to  the  sq  ft, 
which  gives  2,888;  the  average  of  the  three  upper  courses  is 
110'x9"x21",  or  82£  sq  ft  of  21"  wall  which  at  37£  brick  equals 
3,094. 

The  cross  wall  with  two  courses  at  21",  one  at  17",  and  the 
top  course  at  13"  equals,  for  the  lower  two,  22'x6"x37i,  or  413: 
for  the  17",  22'x3"x30,  or  165;  for  the  13",  22"x3"x22£,  or  128 
a  total  for  all  footings  of  6688.  A  bricklayer,  not  figuring  so 
closely,  might  call  it  an  even  7,000. 


BRICKWORK 


77 


= 22-0 


Above  the  footings,  110,  x  9'-6"  equals  1,045  sq  ft  of  13" 
wall.  Assuming  windows  to  be  3'  high,  and  the  seven  of 
them  18'  wide,  we  have  a  deduction  of  54  sq  ft,  leaving  991x 
22$,  equals  22,297  brick. 

The  inside  wall  above  the  footing  is  22'x9'-6",  less  a  door- 
way 3'x7',  or  188  sq  ft  at  15  brick  which  gives  2,820. 


78  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

The  total  number  in  wall  measure  is  31,805,  or  22,250  actual 
brick  required  on  a  basis  of  17  to  the  cf. 

A  MACHINE  SHOP 

From  1901  to  1908  I  made  complete  estimates  on  a  score  or 
more  of  such  buildings  at  Nos.  7,  8,  and  14.  The  brickwork 
is  easily  got  at.  Suppose  a  building  150'x500'.  The  length 
around  the  walls,  not  counting  corners,  is  1,000'  for  the  two 
sides,  and  deducting  twice  21"  for  each  gable,  293'  for  the 
ends,  a  total  of  1,293'  at  40'  high  from  top  of  concrete  water- 
table  to  wall  plate,  we  have  51,720  sq  ft.  Allowing  10  doors 
for  ends,  12'xl8',  60  windows,  16'xl6',  on  the  two  sides,  both 
lower  and  upper,  3  doors,  5'xl8',  12  gable  windows,  12'xl6',  the 
deductions  make  20,100  sq  ft,  leaving  only  31,622.  This  illus- 
tration, where  40%  of  a  building  is  openings,  shows  the  folly 
of  some  trade  rules. 

For  both  gables  there  are  150'x6'-3",  or  938  sq  ft,  a  total  of 
32,560  of  17"  wall  x30  gives  976,800  brick  in  wall  measure. 
At  each  division  of  20'  or  22'  there  is  a  steel  col  built  in  the 
wall  to  hold  the  truss.  Nothing  is  deducted  for  these-  cols. 
Outside  of  each,  and  at  all  corners,  is  a  pilaster,  2'x37'-6"x4i"x 
32  times  for  sides;  and  on  gables,  2x40  ( average )x4£x!4  times, 
giving  3,520  sq  ft  at  7*  or  26,400  in  wall  measure.  Parapet 
wall  above  roof,  304'xl8"xl3"  at  22$,  10,260.  Under  cornice 
on  sides,  flush  with  pilasters,  600'x2'-6"x4$";  upper,  600'xl'-6"x 
4$";  gable  cornice  below  roof  line,  304x2x  4$",  or  3,008  sq  ft 
at  7$,  22,560  in  wall  measure. 

Main  Walls 976,800 

Pilasters 26,400 

Parapets  10,260 

Cornices   22,560 


1,036,020  in  wall  measure 

Or,  on  the  basis  of  16$  to  22$,  760,000  actual  brick,  no  cross 
walls  or  inside  work  included.  Actual  contents  only  are 
taken,  and  all  openings  deducted,  no  matter  what  size. 

ACTUAL  COST 

On  several  large  buildings  of  the  same  style  as  the  Machine 
Shop  just  estimated,  but  about  20'  lower,  erected  in  1907, 


BRICKWORK  79 

the  contract  price  for  any  extra  brickwork  was  $6  per  1,000, 
wall  measure.  This  figure  did  not,  of  course,  include  any 
brick,  but  only  labor,  mortar,  scaffolding  and  profit. 

With  mortar  allowed  at  $1.30,  wall  measure,  that  leaves  a 
balance  of  $4.70,  or  $6.41  in  kiln,  or  actual  count,  per  M,  for 
labor,  high  scaffolding  (25'),  and  profit,  with  wages  at  62£c 
per  hour  for  masons. 

PILASTERS,  CORNICES,  OFFSETS:— Straight  walls  are 
easy  enough  to  estimate,  but  pilasters,  cornices,  chimneys, 
and  such  work  require  more  care.  A  pilaster  with  4J"  of 
projection  is  really  a  wall  with  1\  brick  to  the  sq  ft;  and  all 
other  projections  are  taken  in  the  same  way.  A  cornice  is 
often  as  simple,  and  when  there  are  many  offsets,  a  fair 
average  section  can  be  taken.  No  contractor  would  think  of 
deducting  the  hole  of  a  small  chimney,  even  if  he  followed 
the  system  of  taking  only  the  actual  contents  of  a  building. 
Special  work  of  this  kind  is  like  fitting  the  last  board  of  a 
floor  to  the  wall:  it  takes  ten  times  longer  than  a  board  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  but  the  general  average  must  be  made 
high  enough  to  provide  for  it. 

THEORY: — Of  course,  it  is  necessary  to  remember  that  too- 
much  nicety  is  out  of  place  when  estimating  a  large  building. 
A  cornice  or  footing  is  not  to  be  taken  by  little  2"  offsets  and 
the  exact  contents  found;  a  fair  average  is  all  that  can  be 
expected.  It  is  often  easier  to  estimate  a  footing  by  standing 
it  on  edge,  as  it  were,  and  treating  it  as  a  wall  of  a  certain 
thickness.  If  this  will  not  work  take  the  number  of  cf  and 
mult  by  22.5.  But  it  may  be  worth  while  observing  here  that 
a  wall  marked  13"  on  the  plan  counts  only  as  a  ft.  Some 
architects  mark  their  walls  12,  others  13.  It  is,  of  course, 
only  odd  work  that  we  need  to  reduce  to  cf,  because  the 
number  is  given  for  all  standard  thicknesses  in  the  regular 
table. 

BRICK  IN  No.  2:— Following  the  illustrative  method  of  this 
book  we  shall  now  take  a  glance  at  No.  2.  The  actual  wall 
measurement  with  openings  deducted,  corners  and  half  inter- 
sections not  counted,  pilasters  taken  on  face  only,  and  so 
forth,  was  exactly  1,000,000  brick.  The  actual  quantity  re- 
quired was  750,000.  The  brick  were  of  the  national  size.  The 


80  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

proportion  stands  at  4  to  3,  so  that  a  cf  at  22.5  wall  measure 
all  through  that  building  required  practically  17  brick.  This 
is  a  better  guide  than  any  theoretical  tabulation.  With  a 
larger  brick  16  would  be  enough;  and  a  building  recently  put 
up  with  76,000  kiln  count,  at  2£"  thick,  required  only  this 
number.  In  engineering  work  with  large  brick  and  heavy 
joints,  15i  are  sometimes  sufficient,  but  this  is  at  the  danger 
limit.  On  No.  8,  and  other  buildings  of  the  plant,  there  were 
2,300,000  in  wall  measure,  and  the  contractor  used  1,650,000, 
or  a  trifle  less  than  161.  This  included  waste. 

The  number  of  brick  on  my  original  estimate  of  No.  2  with 
half  the  openings  deducted  was  1,099,000.  If  estimated  ac- 
cording to  the  standard  rules  of  Omaha  and  Chicago,  with 
large  chimneys  solid,  the  number  would  be  about  1,190,000. 

HEAVY  PIERS,   ETC. 

By  the  cy  for  massive  work,  on  a  basis  of  16,  allow  432 
actual  brick;  of  17,  459;  of  18,  486. 

The  exact  number  can  not  be  estimated  on  account  of  size, 
waste,  etc,  but  we  can  get  close  to  it. 

SIZE: — The  size  of  the  brick  has  to  ,be  watched  both  on 
account  of  quantity  and  labor.  Small  brick  are  not  much 
loved  by  contractors.  The  national  size  is  making  its  way, 
but  some  manufacturers  still  adhere  to  the  old  large  sizes  in 
spite  of  building  ordinances,  which  forbid  under  penalty  of 
fine,  anything  larger  than  2ix4x8^.  The  size  listed  in  the 
Chicago  ordinance  is  2x4x8,  requiring  18  to  the  cf. 

WASTE: — The  question  of  waste  requires  to  be  noted.  It  is 
placed  from  2  to  5%  by  the  authorities.  With  fair  brick,  2 
is  sufficient;  only  the  poorest  material  should  run  to  5.  But 
the  waste  in  Nos.  2  and  8  is  included  in  the  number  used,  so 
that  the  proportion  stands. 

HOLLOW  WALLS: — Estimate  hollow  walls  the  same  as  solid 
walls  of  equal  thickness,  and  allow  $1.50  per  1,000  extra  when 
both  walls  are  9";  $1,  when  both  are  13. 

BACKING: — Deduct  the  thickness  of  ashlar  and  figure  brick 
backing  by  the  ordinary  rules.  Sometimes  a  little  fitting  has 
to  be  done  against  the  stone,  but  there  is  no  exposed  work  or 


BRICKWORK  81 

plumbing  of  corners.  Brick  nogging  in  between  partition 
studs  takes  about  one-half  more  time  than  straight  work. 

SHOVED  WORK:— Nos.  2,  7,  8,  and  14  are  laid  in  shoved 
work,  with  a  selected  common  face-brick  and  a  |  joint, — 
which  occasionally  stretches  to  f  without  any  harm  being 
done.  Work  of  this  kind,  if  well  laid,  is  worth  $1  per  1,000 
more  than  the  usual  quality. 

CHEAP  BRICK: — It  may  be  well  to  point  out  here  a  trap 
that  snared  at  least  one  contractor.  Cheap  brick  have  to  be 
watched.  Times  were  dull  and  he  got  his  brick  for  $5  per 
1,000,  but  he  forgot  something. 

Take  as  an  illustration  a  building  with  1,000,000  brick,  wall 
measure.  Allow  750,000  kiln  count  and  put  the  price  for 
laying  and  mortar,  say  $3.  per  1,000  wall  measure  extra. 
No  matter  what  the  price  of  brick,  this  cost  is  a  fixed  quantity. 
If  you  got  brick  for  nothing  the  laying  and  the  mortar  would 
cost  the  same  as  if  they  were  $20  per  1,000.  With  brick  at  $5 
the  contract  runs  to  $8,000;  at  $7,  $10,000.  In  both  cases 
750,000  kiln  count  are  required,  leaving  a  balance  of  250,000. 
This  quantity  in  wall  measure  is  not  required,  and  the  allow- 
ance goes  for  mortar,  laying  and  profit,  coupled  with  the  $3 
extra  on  the  750,000.  After  buying  brick  at  $5  the  balance 
is  $4.250;  at  $7,  $6,250,  or  on  the  basis  of  the  250,000  at  $7 
we  get  $1,750,  while  at  $5  the  amount  is  only  $1,250,  leaving 
a  shortage  of  $500  for  laying,  mortar,  and  profit,  which  are 
the  same  regardless  of  the  price  of  the  brick.  With  dear  brick 
and  wall  measure  there  is  a  sure  margin  if  the  same  $3  is 
added. 

PRICE: — A  common  figure  for  ordinary  brickwork  is  $11  to 
$12  per  1,000,  wall  measure,  when  brick  cost  $7  laid  down; 
but  a  good  deal  depends  upon  the  size  of  the  building  and  the 
character  of  the  work.  A  small  Omaha  building  laid  in' 
Portland  cement  cost  $12.50  per  1,000,  wall  measure,  with 
hour  wages  of  55c.  Even  large  ones  have  been  known  to  run 
to  $16. 

UNDERPINNING :  —Underpinning  and  such  work  costs  a  good 
deal  more  than  plain  walls.  On  one  building  the  cost  of  labor 


82  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

on  180,000  brick,  kiln  count,  was  $9.  All  the  work  went  under 
a  raised  roof  and  in  openings  and  required  extra  labor  outside 
and  inside.  But  work  at  that  price  is  worth  watching.  Some 
small  basements  have  run  as  high  as  $25. 

PATCHING: — Patching  takes  twice  as  long  as  new  work;  and 
some  kinds  even  longer. 

HOLLOW  BUILDING  TILE:— This  material  is  rapidly  becom- 
ing more  popular.  It  is  used  on  the  inside'  of  walls  to  keep 
out  dampness,  and  also  for  partitions.  It  is  of  various  sizes. 
On  the  cars  here  the  rate  is  $6.50  for  as  many  as  will  displace 
1,000  brick,  so  that  the  cost  is  about  the  same.  One  advantage 
is  that  when  the  large  blocks  are  used  the  laying  goes  on 
faster  than  with  brick.  Blocks  4x8x16  and  8x8x16  are  the 
common  sizes.  Partition  blocks  are  made  from  1£  thick  up. 

THICKNESS:— Brick  walls  4£"  thick  are  seldom  built  here; 
in  Scotland  I  saw  them  in  almost  every  house.  They  are  used 
for  partitions  on  the  first  floor,  and  if  properly  built  and 
plastered  they  last  for  a  lifetime  and  beyond.  But  the  labor 
costs  at  least  10%  more  than  if  the  walls  were  thicker.  If 
built  here  by  the  average  bricklayer  I  should  be  afraid  to 
lean  against  them.  The  Arabian  proverb  says  that  hurry  is 
the  devil, — but  again,  what  can  be  more  leisurely  than  $9  to 
$25  per  1,000  for  labor?  Two  new  brick  schools  have  been 
torn  down  in  Omaha  in  recent  years;  several  more  are  fall- 
ing to  pieces.  There  is  plenty  of  brickwork  in  Europe  hun- 
dreds of  years  old,  but  it  was  laid  by  men  who  understood 
their  business,  just  as  the  old-style  American  carpenter  under- 
stood his  a  century  ago  and  built  frame  houses  that  still 
endure. 

SEWERS:— See  Chap  6. 

CISTERNS: — Cisterns  are  often  taken  by  the  bbl  at  about 
90c.  This  includes  excavation,  4"  brick  lining  on  bottom  and 
around  arch  only,  a  finish  coat  of  Portland  cement,  and  an 
iron  cover. 

Or  the  work  may  be  estimated  in  the  ordinary  way;  mult 
the  internal  diam  by  3f,  the  product  by  the  height,  and 
the  number  of  sq  ft  by  7*  for  wall  measure.  Add  floor,  arch 


BRICKWORK  83 

and  ring.  If  walls  are  thicker  than  half  a  brick  proceed  as 
explained  under  sewers.  The  labor  of  laying  brick  against 
earth  is  about  same  as  on  an  ordinary  wall»  for  there  is  no 
plumbing.  The  turning  of  the  arch  takes  some  extra  time. 
For  an  8'  span,  half  a  brick  thick,  allow  one  man  5  hours  at 
most;  for  10',  6  to  7. 

For  a  3,000  gall  cistern,  8'x8',  9"  walls,  $100,  3£c  per  gall,  or 
$1.06  per  bbl.  Walls  are  9";  4£"  walls  are  heavy  enough. 

For  100,000  gall  24'  diam,  30'  deep,  12"  concrete  bottom,  9" 
walls,  $1,131,  1.131c  per  gall,  or  43c  per  bbl  of  3U  gals. 

CESSPOOLS: — Cesspools  cost  more  for  labor  as  they  are 
deeper,  and  both  excavation  and  scaffolding  are  more  expen- 
sive. Cisterns  are  usually  about  10'  deep, — cesspools  may  be 
20.  Add  25%  for  labor. 

Cost  price  of  cesspools  lined  with  4£"  of  brick  in  cement, 
and  plastered  with  Portland  may  be  approximated  as  follows: 
4'  inside  diam  $3.25  per  ft  deep  down  to  12';  to  20',  $3.75; 
5'  diam,  $4  and  $4.75  for  12  and  20';  6',  $5  and  $6.  Or  roughly, 
$1  per  ft  of  internal  diam  per  ft  deep — 4'-6"  diam,  $4.50  per 
ft  deep.  When  deeper  than  20'  allow  $1.50 — and  soil  may  be 
such  as  to  make  $2  necessary.  One  8'  diam  rubble  cost  $1.10, 
or  $105.60  for  12'. 

CHIMNEY-STACKS:— Get  the  cubical  contents  of  walls,  then 
actual  number  of  brick  required,  and  estimate  $12  per  1,000, 
at  55c  per  hour  basis,  for  labor.  Above  100',  $14  up  to  125. 
Allow  sand  and  cement  or  lime  in  ordinary  way.  If  core  is 
too  small  for  men  add  scaffold.  Allow  extra  for  fire-brick  if 
used.  When  bricklayers  get  75'  above  the  ground  they  usually 
demand  higher  wages,  and  often  reach  $1  per  hour  when  100' 
high.  But  on  a  basis  of  55c  I  know  of  a  square  stack  150' 
high  which  cost  less  than  $7  per  1,000,  kiln  count  for  labor 
at  50c  per  hour  for  masons.  It  contained  250,000  actual  brick. 

SMALL  CHIMNEYS:— When  the  walls  are  9"  and  13"  thick 
they  may  be  estimated  in  the  ordinary  way,  but  it  takes  two 
or  three  times  as  long  to  lay  work  as  on  straight  walls.  For 
small  flues  with  4"  and  8"  walls  the  following  table  will  be 
useful  to  get  the  number  of  brick  required  to  the  If.  The 
national  size  is  figured  with  4  courses  to  11". 


84  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

CHIMNEY  TABLE 

No.  of  Cost  per  ft  with  flue 
No.  of  flues         Size  of  flues        Size  of  chimney      bricks  to  ft  linings  and  profit 

1  8Jx8i        17x17       29      $1.15 

2  8ix8^        17x29       49       1.60 

3  8£x8i       17x37       66       2.00 

1  8^x13        17x21       34       1.40 

2  8£x8i  and  8£xl3    17x33       54       1.85 

2  8^x13       17x37       59       2.05 

3  8^x13  17x54  86  2.75 
1                    8^x16                  17x25                 38  1.70 

1  13x13  21x21  38  1.60 

2  13x13,  8"  and  4"         29x37  108  2.50 
1                    13x16                  21x25                 44  1.85 
1             16x16,  8"  wall           33x33               115                 2.70 

LABOR  on  8£"x8i"  flue  chimneys,  35  to  40c;  8£"  double,  50c. 
CHIMNEY-BREASTS  wide  enough  for  mantels  may  be  esti- 
mated by  the  ordinary  rules.  They  are  occasionally  taken  at 
$3  per  ft  of  height,  but  this  depends  upon  size,  and  is  for 
common  brick.  With  ornamental  pressed  brick,  twice  that 
figure  is  sometimes  too  low. 

FLUE  LININGS:  —  In  most  cities  they  must  be  used.     The 
smallest  size  for  an  ordinary  flue  should  not  be  less  than 
Discount  the  table  60%. 

FLUE   LININGS 


Round  Corners.     In  2  feet  lengths.     Outside  measure. 
Inches                                          Per  ft          Inches                                            Per  ft 
4£x  8$           ....ISO  30       12  x!6   $1.00 

4£xl3   

45 

13  x!3   

85 

4^x18   

1.00 

13  x!8   

1.20 

6  x!2 

50 

14  x!6 

1.10 

7x7 

35 

16  x!6  

1  .  60 

8Jx  8J 

45 

16  x20  

2.00 

8^x13 

65 

'18  x!8  

2.00 

8ixl8   . 

.90 

For  Round  and  Register  openings  add  50%. 

CHIMNEY  TOP:—  To  rebuild  one  on  a  pitched  roof,  $10  for 
8£x8£  to  12x12  flue;  $12  for  a  double  flue,  profit  not  included. 
They  should  always  be  built  in  Portland  cement,  and  never 
with  any  projections.  A  straight  line  chimney  lasts  longest, 
and  looks  well. 


BRICKWORK 


85 


MEASUREMENTS  AND  BRICK  REQUIRED  FOR  SETTING 
TUBULAR  BOILERS  WITH   FULL  FRONTS 


Diameter 
Inches 

F 

11 

;SS 

M 

£3 

Fire  Wall 
Inches 

111 

tH^  0 

|l» 

^02 

Side  Walls 
at  Front 
Inches 

Width  over 
all 
Ft  -In 

Length 
over  all 
Ft  -In 

Common 
Brick 

Firebrick 

30 

8 

124 

~80 

18 

"13" 

16 

5-  2 

n-74 

5200 

320 

30 

10 

12J 

80 

18 

13 

16 

5-  2 

13-74 

5800 

320 

36 

s 

124 

80 

18 

13 

16 

5-  8 

11-74 

6200 

480 

36 

10 

12J 

80 

18 

13 

16 

5-  8 

13-74 

7000 

480 

40 

10 

14; 

92 

21 

18 

21 

6-10 

14-2J 

7700 

600 

40 

12 

14? 

92 

21 

18 

21 

6-10 

16-2| 

8800 

600 

42 

10 

14; 

92 

21 

18 

21 

7-  0 

14-4| 

10000 

720 

42 

12 

14? 

92 

21 

18 

21 

7-  0 

16-4f 

10800 

720 

42 

14 

14i 

92 

21 

18 

21 

7-  0 

18-4| 

11600 

720 

48 

12 

14> 

100 

24 

18 

21 

7-  6 

16-4| 

13200 

980 

48 

14 

14> 

100 

24 

18 

21 

7-  6 

18-4| 

14200 

980 

48 

16 

14> 

100 

24 

18 

21 

7-  6 

20-4| 

15200 

980 

54 

14 

16J 

110 

24 

22 

25 

8-  8 

19-24 

14900 

1154 

54 

16 

16J 

110 

24 

22 

25 

8-  8 

21-24 

16000 

1154 

60 

14 

16^ 

118 

24 

22 

25 

9-  2 

19-24 

16100 

1280 

60 

16 

16^ 

118 

24 

22 

25 

9-  2 

21-24 

17400 

1280 

60 

18 

104 

118 

24 

22 

25 

9-  2 

23-24 

18700 

1280 

66 

16 

17J 

118 

24 

22 

25 

9-  8 

21-34 

19700 

1400 

66 

18 

174 

118 

24 

22 

25 

9-  8 

23-34 

21000 

1400 

72 

16 

194 

133 

30 

22 

25 

10-  2 

21-94 

20800 

1550 

72 

18 

194 

133 

30 

22 

25 

10-  2 

23-94 

22000 

1550 

NOTE:     To  get  length  over  all,  add  2nd  and  3rd  cols. 

BOILERS: — There  are  so  many  kinds  that  it  is  hard  to  set 
a  price  for  setting.  Get  the  number  of  cf,  mult  by  $12  per 
1,000,  in  wall  measure,  and  allow  from  25  to  50%  for  extra 
labor.  But  if  set  upon  large  foundations  without  other 
masonry  the  unit  price  need  not  be  greater  than  for  ordinary 
work.  Cost  may  run  from  $150  to  $600. 

BRICK  ARCHES: — Measure  brick  arches  for  sidewalks,  fire- 
proofing,  etc,  in  the  ordinary  way  and  allowed  the  centering 
extra.  In  both  walks  and  firepoofing  it  is  usually  possible 
to  hang  centers  to  the  steel  beams.  Brick  are  very  seldom 
used  for  fireproofing  now,  and  the  centering  for  terra  cotta 
is  of  plank  which  does  not  require  any  labor  except  the 
preliminary  bolting  of  hangers  which  are  changed  from  span 


86  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  span.  For  sidewalk  centering  allow  8c  per  sq  ft.  Usually 
only  a  couple  of  centers  are  required,  as  they  are  moved. 

CENTERS: — For  nearly  two  months  of  my  apprenticeship  I 
worked  on  a  large  Gothic  church  making,  setting  and  remov- 
ing centers,  but  unfortunately  I  kept  no  time  as  the  most 
interesting  time  then  was  the  time  to  quit.  I  have  never 
since  kept  time  on  centers.  Like  tool-houses,  temporary 
fences,  engineer  to  set  stakes,  etc,  they  are  a  necessary  evil 
which  runs  away  with  honest  money.  (See  Chap  X) 

STACKING: — Here  is  something  most  contractors  have  read 
before:  "  1,000  brick  closely  stacked  occupy  about  56  cf ;  1,000 
old  brick  cleaned  and  closely  stacked  occupy  about  72  cf."  In 
the  first  case  the  actual  room  required  for  the  solid  mass 
would  be  about  45  cf  at  national  size,  and  the  11  cf  are  needed 
for  voids. 

CLEANING: — Many  thousands  of  old  brick  were  lately 
cleaned  for  $2  per  1,000,  which  is  a  high  price.  Cleaning  is 
sometimes  done  by  piece-work  for  $1.  (See  Index.) 

PRESSED  BRICK: — Get  the  exact  number  of  sq  ft  and  mult 
by  6£  to  7  for  the  number  of  brick.  More  brick  are  required 
than  for  common  work  because  the  joints  are  smaller,  and 
4  courses  make  only  10"  instead  of  11  or  even  12  with  good 
sized  common  brick.  Reveals  if  more  than  4"  deep  have  to 
be  figured.  The  size  of  pressed  brick  varies,  as  well  as  the 
size  of  the  joint,  but  6  of  the  average  brick  with  neat  joint 
will  cover  a  space  10"xl3".  With  some  brick  and  a  large 
joint  6  are  sufficient  to  the  sq  ft.  It  is  possible  to  make  the 
joints  too  small. 

Sometimes  brick  are  laid  in  a  bond  that  shows  many 
headers,  and  thus  a  brick  covers  but  half  the  surface  it  does 
when  used  as  a  stretcher.  This  means  an  extra  allowance  of 
material  if  architect  does  not  permit  headers  to  be  cut. 
Moulded  brick  running  around  doors,  windows,  arches,  pro- 
jections, etc,  take  up  much  of  an  estimator's  time  when  pre- 
paring a  bid.  They  are  often  of  a  dozen  different  kinds  with 
as  many  different  prices.  With  brick  at  3c  to  15  one  can  not 
afford  to  be  careless.  Deduct  the  number  from  the  plain  brick 
-if  the  whole  surf  has  been  included.  Do  not  order  too 


BRICKWORK  87 

many  as  they  will  not  be  taken  back;  Do  not  estimate  too 
few  as  each  brick  may  cost  20c. 

There  ought  not  to  be  much  waste  if  brick  are  good*  but 
there  are  architects  who  expect  a  $30  front  for  $14,  and  some- 
times steal  from  a  contractor  by  rejecting  brick  which  are  up 
to  the  specification.  To  get  at  the  number  of  Roman  or  any 
other  special  brick  find  the  number  of  sq  in.  in  a  sample, 
allowing  $"  on  1  side  and  1  end  for  mortar.  Five  courses  fo 
the  average  Roman  make  9"  in  height;  their  length  is  11|  to 
llf,  so  that  7  are  required  to  the  sq  ft. 

ENAMELED 'BRICK: — Enameled  brick  may  be  estimated  in 
the  same  way  as  pressed  brick.  They  run  from  $90  to  $100 
per  1,000  kiln  count  in  the  wall. 

There  are  so  many  kinds  of  pressed  brick  that  one  descrip- 
tive catalog  and  price-list  has  130  pages.  Why  attempt  to 
give  prices  here?  A  fair  brick  may  be  had  for  $15,  a  better 
one  for  $25,  and  a  beauty  for  $40  per  1,000.  All  colors  are 
now  at  our  service,  and  color  cuts  some  figure  in  the  price. 
The  standard  is  red,  and  the  prices  on  the  various  colors  run 
from  30  to  50%  more.  The  packing  on  a  small  order  costs 
$7  per  1,000.  Moulded  brick  are  sold  only  with  straight  brick 
unless  in  exceptional  cases.  A  car-load  is  8,000. 

SIZE: — "Owing  to  different  shrinkage  of  the  various  clays 
required  to  produce  different  colors,  exact  sizes  can  not  be 
given.  The  following  are  approximate:" 

Standard  size — 8§x2§x4£  Roman  size— ll£xl}Jx4 

Impervious  white  or  gray  face: 
Standard — 8^x21x4  Roman — Il£xlfx4 

Enameled  sizes  are  about  the  same.    Roman  tile  is  enameled 

size  set  on  edge.     English  enameled  is  9x3.     Care  must  be 

taken    when    estimating    headers    as    end    only    is    enameled. 

Enamels  may  be  had  in  white,  buff,  brown,  blue,  and  green. 

In  the  East  a  white  standard  sized  enameled  brick  costs  $75 

per  1,000,  and  a  gray  porcelain  faced,  $45. 

ARCHES: — It  is  necessary  to  watch  arches.  If  brick  have  to 
be  ground  to  fit  the  radius  they  cost  from  5c  to  25c  each. 
Sometimes  they  can  be  laid  without  grinding,  and  there  are 
contractors  who  prefer  to  chip  them,  which  seems  to  show 


88  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

that  the  manufacturers  charge  too  high  a  price  for  grinding. 
To  chip  and  lay  a  jack-arch  17"  high,  13"  reveal,  allow  $10. 
There  are  300  different  kinds  of  moulded  brick,  and  about  as 
many  different  prices. 

PRESSED  BRICK  LIST:— The  Omaha  list  seldom  changes. 
For  the  ordinary  face  brick  the  1913  prices  are  as  follows: 


STANDARD  SIZE 

PerM 

Shade  Nos.  1  to  8,  red;  1st  grade  (any  shade) $16.00 

Second  grade  red    (any  shade) 14.00 

Shade  Nos.  551  to  559,  inclusive,  Buff 21.00 

Shade  No.    550,  Iron  Spot,  Light,  Medium  and  Dark.  .  21.00 

Shade  No.    580,  Buff  Spotted  (kiln  run,  fire  marked)  .  21.00 

Shade  Nos.  582  to  589,  inclusive,  Buff  Spotted 25.00 

Shade  No.    570  Gray   (kiln  run,  fire  marked) 21.00 

Shade  Nos.  572  to  579,  inclusive,  Gray 25.00 

Shade  No.    540  Bronze  mixed. .  19.00 


ROMAN  SIZE 


Buff  22.00 

Iron    Spot    : 25.00 

Buff  Spotted 29.00 

Gray 29.00 

CORNICES: — Standard  brick  cornices  are  also  supplied,  cost- 
ing from  $1.50  to  $3.50  per  If  on  cars.  They  are  from  2'-6"  to 
5'  0"  high.  Allow  extra  for  labor  and  mortar  from  $1  to  $2  per 
If.  Prices  are  for  red;  other  colors  are  50%  higher. 
WALL  COPING: — Salt-glazed,  terra-cotta  wall-coping  is  made 
in  24  and  18"  lengths,  and  for  9,  13,  and  17"  walls.  Angles, 
starters  and  tee  branches  are  made:  Straight,  15,  20,  35c  per 
ft.  Corners,  angles,  returns,  ends,  starters,  etc,  cost  four 
times  the  price  of  one  ft  of  straight  coping. 
TERRA-COTTA  is  of  special  design  and  has  to  be  priced  ac- 
cordingly. 

BRICK  PAVING:— See  Chap  VI. 

MORTAR: — Before  we  plunge  into  a  discussion  of  quantities 
we  may  profitably  look  back  at  No.  2.    In  that  building  there 


BRICKWORK  89 

were  750,000  brick,  kiln  count,  and  it  took  720  bbls  of  lime 
and  cement  to  lay  them.  This  is  close  to  a  bbl  per  1,000.  But 
at  least  200,000  were  laid  in  cement  at  11  bbl  to  the  1,000. 
This  leaves  470  bbls  of  lime  tempered  with  cement  to  650,000 
brick,  or  practically  .85  of  a  bbl  to  the  1,000.  This  is  17-20, 
and  with  good  lime  it  is  sufficient.  But  some  kinds  of  lime 
require  more.  It  is  impossible  to  get  mathematical  figures  on 
all  work.  Lime  may  be  spoiled,  and  more  required,  or  it  may 
be  of  an  inferior  quality.  There  was  something  said  about 
this  in  the  introductory  part.  One  contractor  wanted  a  bbl, 
another  £  bbl,  or  at  most  |,  and  the  largest  allowance  was 
1£  bbls.  "  From  time  immemorial  1  bbl  of  lime  and  f  yd  of 
sand  to  1,000  brick."  It  is  a  safe  allowance.  Something  de- 
pends upon  the  thickness  of  joints,  richness  of  mortar,  and 
so  forth.  A  good  proportion  is  1  of  lime  to  3  of  sand.  Ex- 
periments by  U.  S.  engineers  soows  that  the  best  mortar  is 
composed  of  1  part  lime  paste  to  2  parts  of  sand.  Some 
bricklayers  make  a  bbl  of  goo 3  lime  lay  1,600  brick,  but  this 
draws  a  little  heavy  on  the  sai^.d  pile.  A  fair  average  is  £  bbl. 
Ordinary  mortar  is  worth  about  $1.75  kiln  count;  with  pressed 
brick,  $1.90. 

Lime  goes  much  further  than  cement.  In  the  basement  of 
an  Omaha  warehouse  built  solidly,  1,000  brick,  wall  measure, 
took  1.25  bbls  of  cement.  As  there  are  only  about  750  actual 
brick,  this  means  1.66  bbls  to  the  1,000.  It  does  not  pay  to 
make  mortar  too  short,  as  it  is  harder  to  handle  than  if  made 
in  the  proper  proportions,  and  what  is  gained  in  cement  is 
lost  in  labor,  which  at  62|c  an  hour  soon  counts. 

On  another  Omaha  basement  built  solidly,  and  containing 
about  250,000  brick,  kiln  count,  400  bbls  of  cement  were  used, 
or  1.6  to  the  1,000. 

A  publication  at  hand  advertising  an  excellent  brand  of 
Am.  Portland  cement  says  that  1  bbl  should  be  sufficient  to 
make  enough  mortar  to  lay  2,000  brick  with  i"  joints.  That 
is  only  $  bbl  to  the  1,000  actual  count.  Joints  of  this  size  do 
not  require  as  much  mortar  as  ordinary  ones,  but  they  can 
not  be  made  with  common  brick  in  cement,  and  if  they  could 
the  extra  cost  of  labor  would  run  away  with  the  saving  in 
cement  ten  times  over.  Besides,  the  allowance  is  far  too 
small. 


90  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For  ordinary  masonry  I  read  in  an  excellent  publication  that 
1,000  brick  require  H  bbls  of  cement  and  the  same  quantity 
of  lime  at  a  proportion  of  1  to  3.  In  another  work  I  find  that 
a  bbl  of  lime  will  lay  1,000  brick,  and  that  is  near  enough 
the  mark  for  good  lime,  although  No.  2  took  less.  In  still 
another  book  f  of  a  bbl  is  the  allowance.  One  authority  says 
1  bbl  of  cement,  another  11  bbls,  or  three  times  as  much,  and 
the  actual  quantity  on  the  basement  of  3  large  buildings  takes 
li  to  11  bbls  to  the  1,000,  kiln  count;  and  17-20  of  lime.  There 
is  the  choice  between  actual  work  and  theory. 

For  pressed  brick  1  bbl  is  sufficient,  so  that  a  building  with 
pressed  brick  fronts  and  thin  walls  lowers  the  average. 

"With  joints  1  to  f  and  brick  2|,  allow  for  ready  mixed 
mortar  .8  cy  per  1,000;  i  to  f  joints,  .45  cy." 

ALLOWANCES  FOR  MORTAR  PER  M  ACTUAL  BRICK 

Portland  Cement,  H  to  U  bbls. 

Good  Lime,  |  bbl.  x 

Mortar  Color,  Red,  f  to  1  joints,  1  bbl  to  6,000  (See  under 
"M.  Color"). 

Mortar  Color,  Red,  1  joints,  1  bbl  to  8,000. 

Fire  Clay,  1  ton  to  7,000  or  8,000. 

For  Pressed  Brick,  1  bbl  lime. 

SAND: — This  material  is  so  cheap  that  an  accurate  account 
is  seldom  kept  of  how  much  goes  to  concrete,  how  much  to 
brick,  plaster,  filling  and  so  forth.  In  general,  1  to  f  cy  of 
sand  is  allowed  to  the  1,000  brick,  kiln  count.  As  nearly  as  I 
can  separate  the  total  amount  under  the  various  headings  on 
No.  2,  640  tons  were  used  for  750,000  brick.  At  3,000  lbs«  to 
the  cy  this  makes  420  cy,  or  .56  to  the  1,000,  kiln  count. 
An  allowance  of  f  yd  is  often  made;  on  this  building  it  runs 
to  11-25  or  a  trifle  less.  Again  you  will  find  men  who  use  too 
much  sand  as  it  mixes  well  with  lime.  Pressed  brick  does  not 
take  half  of  the  foregoing  allowance.  Sand  for  paving,  filling, 
etc,  can  be  easily  estimated  in  cy. 

WATER: — Water  has  to  be  paid  for  in  most  cases.  The  Omaha 
rate  is  7c  per  1,000,  kiln  count,  for  tempering  mortar  and 
wetting  brick;  tempering  mortar  only,  2c;  making  mortar, 
7c.  In  the  first  case  mortar  might  be  delivered  from  a  mix- 


BRICKWORK  91 

ing  yard  and  require  to  be  tempered  only  at  building — and  in 
hot  weather  brick  might  have  to  be  wet.  For  making  mortar 
and  wetting  brick  the  rate  is  therefore  14c,  which  is  too  much. 
Contractors  prefer  a  meter,  which  keeps  the  cost  down  to  4c. 
The  Chicago  rate  is  5c  per  1,000. 

PER  CENT: — Per  cent  of  mortar  in  a  cy  of  masonry:  "  Coarse 
brickwork,  joints  i  to  f,  35  to  40;  ordinary,  i  to  f,  25  to  30; 
pressed  brick,  £,  10  to  15." 

As  there  are  about  4.4  cf  in  a  loose  bbl  of  cement,  and  27 
cf  in  a  cy  of  sand,  it  is  easy  to  get  the  amount  required  for 
any  given  proportion  of  mortar.  Thus  1  to  3  means  1  bbl  of 
cement  and  13  cf  of  sand. 

CARLOAD: — A  carload  of  lime  in  bulk  may  run  from  130  to 
230  bbls. 

MORTAR  COLOR:— On  No.  2  with  joints  not  less  than  f" 
22  bbls  were  used  for  a  surf  of  about  20,000  sq  ft,  openings 
being  deducted.  As  face  mortar  is  required  only  on  the  out- 
side course  this  means  1  bbl  to  5,000  brick.  With  smaller 
joints  a  bbl  will  easily  lay  6,000.  This  rate  was  recently  used 
on  30,000  pressed  brick.  On  a  building  recently  erected  5,100' 
Ibs  of  red  color  was  the  quantity  required  for  80,000  brick,  laid 
in  the  same  size  of  joint  at  No.  2.  This  is  on  basis  of  8,000 
tc-Jbbl.  For  fine  joints,  the  allowance  to  5,000  is  too  large. 
For  red,  brown,  and  buff,  one  maker  allows  in  his  catalog 
50  Ibs  to  the  1,000  for  spread  joints;  for  buttered  joints,  45 
Ibs.  For  black,  40  to  45  Ibs;  and  25  to  35  buttered.  A  bbl  of 
red  contains  500  Ibs;  brown,  450;  buff,  425;  black,  300  to 
500.  Red  is  about  l^c  per  Ib;  brown  and  buff,  2c;  black,  3c. 

The  weights  are  those  of  only  one  manufacturer.  His  allow- 
ances are  too  close ;  but  a  good  deal  depends  upon  the  shade. 
Half  the  proper  quantity  may  be  made  to  serve.  Some  con- 
tractors find  that  1  bbl  is  sufficient  for  8,000  brick.  A  good 
deal  depends  upon  the  mixer.  A  raw  hand  wastes  material 
without  improving  the  mortar. 

LABOR: — The  cost  of  laying  the  brick  in  No.  2  was  too  much,. 
but  a  common  brick  front  was  made  to  look  as  if  it  were 
pressed  brick. 

In  wall  measure,  openings  deducted,  and  only  actual  contents 
taken,  the  cost  throughout  with  laborers'  wages  included,  waa 


"02  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

$4.20  per  1,000;  in  kiln  count,  $5.60.  Wages  wer?  45c  and  17 
to  18c  per  hour.  This  was  at  the  rate  of  1,150  brick  far  1 
man  in  a  9-hour  day  after  laborers'  wages  were  deducted. 
TRADESMEN  AND  LABORERS:— Different  buildings  give 
different  proportions  of  time  for  bricklayers  and  laborers,  as 
some  require  much  more  scaffolding  and  hoisting  than  others; 
on  this  one,  as  far  as  figured,  5,350  hours  of  bricklayers  took 
8,280  hours  of  laborers,  or  about  2  of  the  one  to  3  of  the 
other.  Sometimes  4  to  5  is  the  proportion.  On  a  1-story 
building  with  many  angles,  a  recent  proportion  was  1,450  brick- 
layers' to  1,650  laborers'  hours. 

DETAILS: — There  were  special  reasons  for  the  high  price  of 
No.  2.  All  arches  were  of  chipped  brick,  the  soffits  as  well 
as  the  face,  a  good  deal  of  fitting  was  necessary,  and  brick 
had  often  to  be  rechipped.  Deep  flat  arches  around  the  base- 
ment openings  took  up  a  good  deal  of  time;  rowlock  arches 
over  all  other  openings  kept  the  men  a  long  while,  for  it  is 
far  easier  to  lay  brick  upon  a  stone  or  steel  lintel  than  to 
turn  an  arch  and  chip  to  suit;  a  large  triple-arched,  four-faced 
corridor  not  shown  on  the  illustration  took  long  enough  to 
build  a  house;  and  the  dentil  cornice  and  tower  ran  the 
average  much  lower  than  it  would  have  been  on  a  plain  build- 
ing. Extra  time  was  taken  in  using  two  colors  of  mortar 
throughout. 

NUMBER  LAID: — But  I  once  knew  of  buildings  having  alto- 
gether about  1,000,000  actual  brick  where  the  No.  2  average 
was  not  nearly  reached.  They  were  plain,  with  thick  walls, 
without  arches,  towers,  or  heavy  cornice,  and  with  only  one 
color  of  mortar,  and  yet  on  one  the  average  for  8  hours  was 
€50;  on  another,  750;  on  the  best,  825.  It  ought  to  have  been 
at  least  half  as  much  more,  for  the  buildings  were  low.  It 
is  as  well  to  speak  of  one  risk  in  an  estimate — that  which 
comes  from  lazy  bricklayers.  There  is  a  happy  medium  be- 
tween slave-driving  and  loafing.  At  the  rate  of  even  800  brick 
per  day  this  is  only  100  per  hour,  or  close  to  ITTTT  per  minute 
with  a  laborer  and  a  quarter  to  assist.  It  seems  that  a  trained 
bricklayer  ought  to  be  able  to  double  this  on  plain  work. 
PRICE: — While  at  this  part  I  asked  a  contractor  who  had 
done  a  great  deal  of  warehouse  work,  "  How  much  is  it  worth 


BRICKWORK  93 

to  lay  1,000  brick,  kiln  count,  on  warehouses  at  the  55c  per 
hour  rate?"  "About  $3.75."  I  asked  another  with  large  ex- 
perience and  he  allowed  $4.  On  1  building  referred  to,  if  put 
on  a  55c  basis,  the  rate  was  $7.90;  on  the  other,  $8.80;  on 
the  worst,  $10.50. 

PRESSED  AND  COMMON  BRICK:— Although  the  price  of  lay- 
ing pressed  brick  is  given  further  on  it  is  next  to  impossible  to 
get  the  two  kinds  separated.  A  better  way  is  to  lump  all  brick 
together  and  get  the  average.  I  know  of  several  large  build- 
ings with  $  to  \  of  pressed  brick;  and  the  average  of  the 
first — flats — was  1,200;  the  second,  heavy  walls  practically 
on  ground  level,  was  1,450,  the  third,  with  4  fronts,  4  stories, 
of  pressed  brick,  1,240.  This  means  from  $4.75  to  $5.75  per 
1,000,  kiln  count,  and  $2.90  to  $3.90  wall  measure.  With- 
out pressed  brick  $4  would  have  been  sufficient. 

PRICE: — It  was  said  in  another  part  of  this  book  that  $3  per 
1,000,  wall  measure,  was  a  reasonable  amount  to  allow  on 
plain  work  in  addition  to  the  cost  of  the  brick  laid  down. 
This  seems  small  after  the  800  rate  is  thought  of;  but  a  good 
deal  of  extra  cement  work  on  the  basement  of  No.  9  was 
done  at  this  figure.  But  $3.50  to  $5  extra  is  not  unreasonable 
after  openings  and  corners  are  deducted. 

On  No.  2  there  are  750,000  brick.  At  $6.50  for  brick,  and, 
at  the  45c  rate,  $2.50  for  laying  we  have  $9,000,  there  being 
1,000,000  kiln  count.  Brick,  $4,775,  lime,  say,  700  bbls  at  90c, 
$6.30;  sand,  400  yds  at  70c,  $2.80;  leaving  for  labor  $3,315,  or 
$4.42  per  1,000,  kiln  count.  The  work  was  figured  at  a  higher 
rate  for  arches,  cornices,  etc,  and  for  laying  the  basement  in 
natural  cement  which  is  worth  at  least  50c  per  1,000  extra. 

ON  FLATS  AND  SHOPS:— On  flats,  stores,  dwellings,  halls, 
etc,  the  price  must  be  set  to  suit  the  class  of  work  with  an 
average  basis  of  750.  There  are  the  extremes  of  $3.75  and 
$10.50  on  common  brick.  Before  establishing  your  price  in  all 
cases  consult  the  bricklayers.  The  average  on  No.  7  was  not 
more  than  1,000.  On  some  days  600  was  nearer  the  mark. 
QUICK  WORK:— But  if  we  have  looked  at  them  while  they 
were  playing  do  not  let  us  forget  that  they  can  also  work. 
On  the  heavy  footings  and  basement  walls  of  a  warehouse 


94  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

built  in  the  best  way,  each  bricklayer  laid  3,200  brick  in  an 
8-hour  day;  and  on  another  basement  this  figure  was  exceeded. 
No  one  expects  this  rate  clear  to  the  roof,  for  above  the  heavy 
footings  it  means  poor  workmanship,  but  play  at  62£c  per  hour 
is  unbecoming. 

WAREHOUSES: — In  heavy  warehouse  work  with  common 
brick  fronts  1,800  ought  to  be  laid;  and,  if  not  too  far  from 
ground,  2,000  need  not  be  considered  miraculous.  With  9" 
walls  1,000  is  enough.  About  1,200  for  ordinary  plain  work 
is  a  fair  allowance.  The  higher  the  building  the  more  ex- 
pensive do  scaffolding,  hoisting  and  tending  become. 

ENGINEERING: — In  engineering  with  heavy  piers  and  walls, 
1,800  ought  to  be  laid  in  cement  and  shoved.  Work  properly 
shoved  is  worth  not  only  50c  per  1,000  extra,  but  a  good  deal 
more  to  the  owner.  A  brick  is  laid  down  in  a  full  bed  of 
mortar  a  few  inches  from  the  last  one  in  place  and  shoved 
close.  The  joint  is  necessarily  full  nearly  to  the  top  and 
the  small  space  is  filled  with  the  next  bed  if  not  before.  Al- 
though specified  the  work  is  sometimes  not  done.. 

PASSENGER  STATIONS:— A  passenger  station  with  76,500 
•extra  large  brick  was  recently  laid  at  the  rate  of  56  per  hour 
per  man  throughout.  This  included  a  fairly  good  pressed 
front  of  the  same  brick  selected.  With  short,  thin  walls, 
angles,  corners,  arches,  etc,  this  was  a  fair  rate,  which  might 
have  been  better.  But  there  is  a  difference  between  a  building 
of  this  kind  and  a  warehouse. 

I  know  of  2  other  passenger  stations  where  each  man  in  10 
tours  laid  250  to  270  pressed  brick  as  an  average,  and  also 
backed  up  with  a  9"  wall.  With  short  runs,  jambs,  and  arches, 
this  was  a  fair  day's  work,  for  it  averaged  about  650  brick. 
With  long,  straight,  thick  walls  the  number  would  have  been 
increased  50%. 

I  know  of  a  small  freight  depot,  however,  which  cost  for 
labor  alone,  $29  per  1,000,  kiln  count,  where  the  small  cement 
shed  cost  $375,  and  the  "  engineering,"  $350. 

MACHINES: — Bricklaying  machines  are  on  the  market,  but 
the  perfect  one  is  not  yet  so  far  west  as  Nebraska,  and  there 
are  no  figures  at  hand. 


BRICKWORK  95 

SIZE: — In  Scotland  brick  contain  about  50%  more  ci  than 
here.  In  making  comparisons  as  to  number  laid  per  day  this 
is  sometimes  forgotten.  But  few  brick  are  used  there.  In 
the  north  of  England  brick  buildings  are  the  rule. 

PRESSED  BRICK  FRONTS: — A  common  way  to  estimate 
this  work  for  a  fair  quantity  of  material  is  to  get  the  price  of 
the  common  brick  in  the  regular  way  without  making  any 
deduction  for  the  outside  course,  and  then  to  add  the  cost  of 
the  pressed  brick  laid  down  at  the  building.  It  may  be  said 
that  to  lay  brick  worth  $15  does  not  require  more  work  than 
at  $25,  and  that  therefore  the  rule  is  not  fair;  but  in  general 
the  higher  price  of  the  pressed  brick  the  finer  the  quality  of 
the  work  has  to  be  to  suit  the  architect,  who  puts  on  ornament 
enough  to  correspond  with  the  value  of  the  material. 

FINE  FRONTS: — Fine  residences  with  ornamental  pressed 
brick  fronts  should  be  allowed  at  the  full  thickness  of  common 
brick,  then  the  price  of  the  pressed  brick  added,  and  finally 
$20  per  1,000  extra  on  the  pressed  brick  for  labor.  It  is  well 
for  those  who  estimate  on  ornamental  work  to  understand  that 
it  is  worth  this  price,  which  seems  excessive,  but  which  has 
been  proved  by  results  to  be  reasonable — and  sometimes  risky. 
Sunk  panels,  projecting  brick,  corbels,  etc,  are  very  costly. 
With  jambs,  corners,  moulded  arches,  buttresses  with  bases 
and  caps  to  dream  about,  with'  chimney-caps  when  they  are 
reached  after  a  long  delay  and  trouble  without  end  there  is 
no  money  in  this  kind  of  work  unless  it  is  done  on  a  per- 
centage, which  is  about  the  only  proper  way  to  do  it, — and 
then  the  chief  sufferer  is  the  owner  who  deserves  to  be 
punished  for  his  folly.  Between  the  extremes  of  $12  for 
"  culls,"  and  $50  extra  for  the  brick  on  a  house  where  a  dreary 
architect  constructs  decoration  instead  of  decorating  construc- 
tion you  have  your  choice.  Between  lazy  bricklayers  and 
artistic  architects  the  lot  of  a  contractor  is  not  a  happy  one. 

FIRE-BRICK: — Fire-brick  and  enameled  brick  are  estimated 
in  the  same  way.  Enameled  brick  take  a  little  more  time  than 
pressed  brick. 

DOUBLE  FACE  WORK: — When  a  wall  has  fine  face-brick  on 
both  sides  allow  10%  extra  after  the  other  allowances  are 


96  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

made.  On  one  of  the  heaviest  buildings  in  Omaha — the 
Burlington  station — the  contractor  paid  a  proportionate  price 
for  work  of  this  kind.  Do  not  look  for  mercy  after  a  contract 
is  signed.  "  Business  is  business." 

NUMBER  LAID:— A  bricklayer  ought  to  lay  from  400  to  500 
common  pressed  brick  in  an  8-hour  day — but  if  he  sometimes 
lays  only  650  ordinary  brick  in  a  long,  thick  wall,  why  expect 
too  much  when  he  goes  to  the  front?  The  best  system  is  to 
include  pressed  brick  with  common  and  take  the  average. 
Some  figures  on  large  work  have  already  been  given. 

FLEMISH  BOND:— It  is  worth  from  $3  to  $4  per  1,000  extra 
to  lay  brick  in  Flemish  bond. 

VENEERING: — Allow  400  for  one  man  in  a  day.  The  1st 
story  of  No.  10  is  veneered. 

WASHING: — To  properly  wash  a  building  and  point  the  joints 
is  worth  3c  per  sq  ft.  Allow  1  gall  of  muriatic  acid  to  500 
sq  ft,  and  dilute  with  rain  water. 

CHIPPED  BRICK: — In  some  parts  there  is  a  liking  for 
chipped  brick.  It  looks  well  on  a  basement,  on  arches,  bands, 
etc,  but  not  all  over  the  face  of  a  building.  The  cost  of 
chipping  is  $2  for  a  reasonable  quantity.  Sometimes  the  price 
is  $2.50;  it  was  once  $3.  All  reveals,  corners,  soffits  of  arches, 
etc,  have  to  be  returned,  and  it  is  necessary,  to  have  this  under- 
standing with  the  chipper  if  the  work  is  done  by  the  piece. 
The  basement  and  other  parts  of  No.  2  are  covered  with  the 
triumph.  It  takes  about  as  much  time  to  lay  it  as  it  does  for 
a  cheap  pressed  brick. 

NUMBER  OF  ACTUAL  BRICK  LAID  PER  HOUR  BY  (1) 
BRICKLAYER  AND  (1%)  LABORER  : 

Plain  heaviest  work  in  cement  400 

Engineering  work  (heavy  piers)" 300 

Warehouse,  above  grade,  lime  and  cement  ..         ..220  to  160 

Railroad  shops  and  m'f'g  b'ld'gs  (high  walls)    120 

Stores  and  flats,  common  pressed  brick 130 

Stores  and  flats,  common  brick  only 190 

Heavy  walls,   pressed   brick,    1   story 160 

Small  passenger  stations,  fair  pressed  brick 60 

Veneering    40 

Best  pressed  brick  panel  work,  etc 40 


CHAPTER  VI 

MUNICIPAL   WORK 

A  building  contractor  is  sometimes  obliged  to  put  in  a  bid 
on  a  class  of  work  that  does  not  properly  belong  to  bis  de- 
partment. The  following  figures  will  be  of  some  use  as  a 
check  on  his  own  estimate.  They  are  mostly  prices  paid  by 
the  city  of  Omaha  at  various  periods.  Of  course  a  mile  of 
paving  can  be  done  at  a  cheaper  rate  than  100  sq  yds.  In 
this  city  awards  were  made  as  follows: 

PAVING   TABLE 

Sheet  asphaltum,  5  yrs  guarantee $1.59  sq  yd 

Vitrified  brick,  1  yr  guarantee,  (concrete  base) . .     1.97 

Disintegrated   granite,   3   yrs 1.20 

Bedford  limestone,  curbing 65  If 

Colorado  sandstone,  curbing 70 

Berea  sandstone,  curbing   61 

Asphaltic  curbing 60 

Artificial  stone  curbing 45 

Artificial  stone  combined  curb  and  gutter 57 

In  this  city,  as  the  result  of  a  fight,  some  low  bids  were 
received.    The  specifications  were  as  follows:     Asphalt,  class 
B,  5"  concrete,  1*  binder,  1J  asphalt;  class  E,  repaying  with 
1$"  of  binder  and  1^  of  asphalt  on  broken  stone. 
VITRIFIED  BRICK: — Class  C,  repaving  on  broken  stone. 
STONE:— Class  A,  blocks  8  to  12"  long,  3  to  5  wide,  6  to  6* 
deep,  laid  on  6"  of  concrete;  class  C,  repaving. 

Disintegrated  granite,  6"  deep. 

The  lowest  bids  were:  Asphalt,  class  B,  5  yrs,  $1.59;  class 
E,  5  yrs,  $1.47  to  $1.55.  One  company  asked  20c  per  yd  extra 
for  a  10  yr  guarantee.  But  in  Aug.,  1902,  new  bids  were 
received  for  No.  1  asphalt,  $2.25;  No.  2,  $1.99;  and  for  vit 
brick,  $1.98,  or  with  cement  grouting,  $2.08. 
BRICK:— Class  C,  1  yr,  $1.16  to  $1.24  vit  block— Purington 
or  Galesburg— class  C,  1  yr,  $1.24  to  $1.50. 

STONE:— Class  A,  1  yr,  $2.20  to  $2.35;  class  C,  1  yr  $1.70. 

97 


98  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

DISINTEGRATED  GRANITE:— $1.43  to  $1.46  for  1  yr. 

The  following  table  is  compiled  from  an  "  Abstract  of  Pav- 
ing," for  city.  Labor  might  be  higher  or  lower  in  other  cities 
than  Omaha.  The  "  District "  price  is  taken,  as  the  "  Inter- 
section "  is  practically  the  same.  The  quantities  run  from 
3,000  to  17,000  yds. 

PAVING  TABLE 


Material        Deptl 
Vit  paving  block  4" 

i              Foundation 

old  

Depth 

Price 
peryd 

$1.36 

Guar 
Yrs 
1 

Vit  paving  block  4" 
Vit  paving  block  4" 

sand  and  concrete  .  . 
old  

1  and    6 

1.86 
1.65 

1 
1 

Vit  paving  block  4" 
Sheet-  asphaltum.  1J 

sand  and  concrete  .  . 
old  

1    and  6 

2.08 
1.50 

5 

5 

Sheet  asphaltum.  2 

concrete  

6 

1.60 

5 

Sheet  asphaltum   li 

concrete 

5 

1.67 

5 

Sheet  asphaltum  2 

concrete 

6 

2.05 

5 

Sheet  asphaltum.  1J 
Sheet  asohaltum.  2 

binder  and  concrete 
concrete.. 

li  and  6 
6 

1.59 
1.95 

5 
5 

AVERAGE 

A  fair  average  is  found  by  taking  in  a  period  of  several 
years,  and  the  following  figures  from  contracts  may  be 
compared  with  those  already  given: 

PAVING  AND  CURBING  TABLE 

Asphalt  on  5"  concrete,  $1.85  to  $1.91. 
Purington  Block  on  5"  concrete,  li"  sand,  $2.12  to  $2.17. 
Grouting.     All  bids  lOc  per  sq  yd. 
365  Cy  concrete  base,  $5  to  $6. 

Artificial  Curb,  120  sq  inches  of  section,  48  to  60c  If. 
Artificial  Curb,    90  sq  inches  of  section,  40  to  55c  If. 
Gutter  and  Artificial  Curb,  138  sq  inches  of  section,  65  to 
75c  If. 

Bedford  Curb,  75  to  SOc  If. 

Resetting  of  Curb,  15  to  25c  If. 

Artificial  Curved  Curb,  $1.05  to  $1.35  If. 

Grading,  per  cy,  25  to  40c. 

New  Gutter,  $2.20  to  $2.60. 

New  Gutter,  relaying,  $1.25  to  $2.00. 


MUNICIPAL     WORK  99 

BRICK    PAVING 

Brick  paving  is  becoming  more  popular  every  year;  and 
contractors  often  lay  it  themselves  instead  of  subletting  it, 
as  they  are  likely  to  do  with  asphalt  and  stone.  It  is  there- 
fore worth  while  to  set  down  a  few  figures  for  use  in  making 
out  bills  of  material. 

SIZE: — The  No.  of  brick  varies  according  to  size.  Out  of  14 
specimens  received  in  an  Eastern  city  from  different  yards,  £ 
took  59  to  sq  yd;  2,  55;  and  the  others,  46,  48,  51,  58,  60,. 
65,  68,  69,  and  75.  The  average  is  59;  but  of  course  an  average 
is  useless  with  such  variation  in. size. 

No.  TO  YDS: — As  there  are  so  manv  sizes  it  is  necessary  to 
get  the  number  to  the  sq  yd  for  each  size  separately.  Perhaps 
the  best  way  is  to  take  a  large  space,  say,  100  brick  long  and 
50  wide  and  by  dividing  by  the  No.  of  sq  yds,  obtain  the 
average.  The  disadvantage  of  taking  an  exact  sq  yd  is  that 
even  figures  may  not  cover  the  space.  Allow  \"  for  sand  or 
other  joint  filler  in  1  side  and  end  before  estimating.  The 
joints  are  likely  to  be  as  much  larger  than  £  as  to  make  up 
for  waste  which  is  small  with  good  material.  Paving  brick 
are  laid  on  edge  on  most  streets.  For  brick  of  the  national 
size  allow  on  edge;  62;  on  flat,  36.  The  -Purington  Block — 
Galesburg  brick — used  for  street  paving  takes  45.  The  price 
is  about  $22;  the  size,  3£  to  3J  thick,  8  to  8|  long,  and  4"  deep. 
Good  sidewalk  brick  may  be  bought  for  $13,  or  even  $10  in 
some  localities. 

PAVING  PRICES: — In  "The  Engineering  News,"  of  New 
York,  N.  Y.,  some  interesting  figures  are  given  for  38,504  yc  5 
of  brick  paving  in  Champaign,  111.  Concrete  base  was  6"  in 
the  proportion  of  1,  3,  3  with  H"  of  sand  on  top  and  then 
brick  paving  blocks,  1,000  of  which  laid  25  yds.  The  contract 
price  was  $1.29.  The  actual  cost  for  1  sq  yd  was:-  grading, 
.10;  concrete  base,  .3985;  brick,  .7587,  a  total  of  $1.2572,  or 
about  $1.26.  The  labor  on  base  was  5.8c;  on  brick  8.87c. 
Concrete  curbing  and  gutter  contract  was  46c;  actual  cost  of 
labor  and  material,  39c;  labor,  26.17c. 

PLATFORMS: — The  following  figures  have  been  tested  on 
large  platforms  by  the  Northwestern  Railroad  Company: 


100  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

The  size  of  brick  varies  from  2i"  to  2f  "  thick,  4"  to  4i"  wide 
and  8"  to  8|"  long.     No.  to  yd,  38$  to  39  on  flat;  55$  and  60 
to  73  on  edge. 
COST: — Cost  is  from  $7.50  to  $10  per  1,000  without  freight. 

LABOR: — The  cost  of  laying  on  flat  was  less  than  8c  per  yd; 
on  edge,  from  lie  to  15c.  But  this  is  merely  the  laying,  no 
filling  being  allowed,  as  the  depth  varies.  From  20c  to  30c 
per  cy  ought  to  do  the  filling. 

PILLING: — Approx  for  grading  and  filling  20c  per  sq  yd. 
LABOR: — On  a  surf  of  742  sq 'yds  laid  with  Purington  the 
labor  ran  to  IOC  per  yd  for  unloading  from  cars,  and  25c  for 
laying.     On    street   paving   the    allowance    for    Purington    is 
3,000  per  day  for  1  man. 

CELLARS: — Cellars  run  to  about  5c  per  sq  yd  for  labor  on 
flat.  On  cinder  base  6",  and  sand  1",  brick  floors  are  often 
averaged  at  10  to  14c  per  sq  ft. 

OROUTING: — If  brick  are  grouted  with  cement  add  lOc  per 
yd;  bids  are  received  at  this  figure. 

SIDEWALKS: — The  lowest  bids  ever  received  by  the  city  for 
permanent  sidewalks  ran  to  10. 4c  for  hard  brick,  but  not  such 
material  as  is  used  on  roadway;  and  14.75c  for  cement  per 
sq  ft.  This  was  in  competition;  but  by  referring  to  concrete 
floors,  end  of  Chap.  Ill,  it  will  be  seen  that  cement  walks 
were  laid  at  practically  the  same  figure,  although  cement 
has  risen  $1  a  bbl.  Ordinary  walks  were  14c  for  cement,  and 
10. 7c  for  brick.  Minneapolis  had  a  Purington  bid  for  pressed 
brick  paving  at  $1  per  yd. 

On  sidewalk  work  one  man  and  a  helper  should  lay  about 
3,000  brick;  but  a  good  deal  depends  upon  the  state  of  the 
ground,  as  preparation  is  often  half  the  battle. 
NEW  YORK  PRICES: — Of  course  prices  vary  in  different 
sections  of  the  country.  A  technical  journal  of  New  York 
states  that  in  a  fair  competition  bids  were  received  in  that 
city  for  $250,000  worth  of  asphalt  paving.  They  ran  from 
$1.08  to  $1.12  per  sq  yd.  In  former  years  the  figure  was  $1.76 
under  Tammany,  $3.80  to  $5.86.  Possibly  the  writer  was  paint- 
ing Tammany  too  black.  The  above  prices  were  said  to  be 


MUNICIP/U,  /$r(RK£  ;  J101 

the  lowest  ever  received  in  New  York — perhaps  in  the  whole 
country.  A  New  York  average  for  granite  block,  tar  and 
gravel  joints,  and  also  for  sandstone,  cement  joints,  was  $2.80; 
3"  wood  block,  $1.75;  4",  $2.20.  Granite  block  sometimes  runs 
to  $3.25. 

CEDAR  BLOCK: — In  the  boom  days  Omaha  laid  25  miles  of 
cedar  block  paving  on  a  plank  or  concrete  base  It  served  for 
about  5  years  and  then  went  to  wreck.  Repaving — not  with 
cedar  block — has  been  done  on  19  miles,  and  the  other  6  are 
in  a  state  of  noxious  desuetude.  The  original  price  was 
$1.7u  per  yd.  Asphalt  at  that  time  was  about  $3.  Cedar  block 
on  plank  and. gravel  is  now  worth  about  $1  per  yd.  On  gravel 
alone  75c. 

BRICK  SEWERS: — The  material  can  be  easily  estimated  if 
they  are  circular.  Mult  the  average  diam  by  3.1416  or  3f,  and 
treat  the  result  as  a  straight  brick  wall  of  9,  13,  17",  or  what- 
ever thickness  it  may  be.  To  get  the  number  of  brick  the 
inside  diam  of  each  ring  should  be  taken,  for  the  brick  joint 
is  of  the  average  size  there,  while  on  the  outer  margin  of  the 
4$"  ring  it  has  to  be  increased  owing  to  the  radial  line. 

Suppose  a  sewer  300'  long,  3'  inside  diam,  with  3  rings  or 
13"  thick.  The  average  diam  is  3'-9",  for  this  is  the  inside 
diam  of  the  middle  ring.  Mult  by  3.1416  we  have  a  wall  fully 
ll'-9"  high,  which  contains  in  wall  measure,  79,515  brick. 
By  the  separate  ring  process  the  3'  diam  at  4$"  thick  equals 
7£  brick  or  21,206;  the  inside  diam  of  next  ring  is  3'-9"  or 
26,507;  inside  diam  of  outside  ring  is  4'-6"  or  31,807;  a  total  of 
79,520  in  wall  measure.  See  Chap  V  for  actual  number  re- 
quired. Better  brick  are  used  for  sewer  than  for  ordinary 
building  work.  They  are  usually  $1  per  1,000  more.  For  about 
half  of  the  height  on  the  inside  ring  where  the  water  flows  the 
brick  should  be  extra  hard.  More  cement  is  needed  for  sewers 
than  for  a  straight  wall.  The  joints  are  wider  on  the  outer 
diam,  and  the  inside  has  to  be  plastered. 

Whatever  section  is  used,  circular  or  elliptical,  it  is  only 
necessary  to  get  the  distance  around  the  inside  and  then  pro- 
ceed as  for  a  common  brick  wall.  Bricklayers'  wages  are  $1 
per  hour  for  work  of  this  kind.  They  often  have  to  work  in 
water.  A  man  will  lay  on  an  average  2,500  brick  in  a  day. 


102      I  c/c  V  tTTIE  '  JNEW   BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SEWER   PRICES 

An  Omaha  price  for  city  sewers,  2  ring,  15'  deep  was:  36", 
per  If,  $3.55;  42,  $4.35;  54,  $4.60;  66,  $5.60.  The  manholes 
are  extra  at  same  price  at  those  for  pipe  sewers. 

The  brick  bids  from  6  contractors  ran  as  follows — and,  as 
with  all  bids  for  city  work,  profit  is  included: 

2-ring,  4'-8"  diam,  900',  natural  cement,  from  $4.80  to  $6.20 
per  If,  average,  $5.39;  Port,  from  $5.20  to  $6.65,  aver,  $5.83. 

2-ring,  5'-10",  620',  nat,  $5.95  to  $7,  average,  $6.56;  Port, 
$6.30  to  $8.40,  aver,  $7.23. 

2-ring,  6',  480',  nat,  $6.05  to  $7.25,  aver,  $6.59;  Port,  $6.60 
to  $8.40,  aver,  $7.29. 

2-ring,  6'-2",  381',  nat,  $6.25  to  $7.43,  aver,  $6.82;  Port,  $6.95 
to  $9,  aver,  $7.73. 

3-ring,  6'-4",  330',  nat,  $8.20  to  $11,  aver,  $9.37;  Port,  $9  to 
$11.50,  aver,  $10.11. 

3-ring,  6'-6",  480',  nat,  $8.50  to  $11.25,  aver,  $9.56;  Port,  $9.58 
to  $12,  aver,  $10.42. 

Manholes  to  10'  high  ran  in  nat  from  $1.80  per  If  to  $3.50, 
aver,  $2.89;  Port,  $2  to  $3.70,  aver,  $3.20. 

MACHINE  EXCAVATION:— Excavation  for  large  sewers  is 
worth  from  50  to  60c  per  cy  in  dry  soil.  But  the  most  progress- 
ive people  now  do  such  excavating  with  a  machine.  "  The 
Scientific  American  "  recently  gave  some  illustrations  of  one 
at  work  in  Moorestown,  N.  J.,  trenching  for  a  sewer  system. 
With  the  new  machine  5  men  can  dig  a  ditch  4'  deep  and  60' 
long  every  hour.  It  is  not  necessary  to  cut  the  trench  as  wide 
as  with  hand  labor — it  is  cut  to  suit  the  size  of  the  pipe;  and  it 
can  cut  6"  deep  to  12'.  The  earth  has  not  to  be  handled  several 
times  over.  One  illustration  shows  the  pipe  in  place  ready 
for  backfilling;  another  shows  a  man  in  uniform  standing  on 
the  bridge  like  the  captain  of  an  Atlantic  liner. 

Some  machines  do  work  for  5c  per  cu  yd,  in  trenches,  base- 
ments, etc. 

Now  the  United  States  Government  is  using  an  excavating 
machine  in  the  reclamation  of  swamp  lands.  It  digs  ditches 
at  the  rate  of  1400  cy  per  day  with  only  two  men  in  charge. 


MUNICIPAL     WORK  103 

SEWER  PIPE:— The  following  table  gives  the  "Abstract." 
prices  on  sewer  pipe  laid.  The  various  contracts  ran  from 
300  to  about  4,000  ft.  The  totals  were  1,486'  of  10"  inlet  pipe, 
which  is  in  general  a  trifle  lower  in  price  than  the  straight 
work;  8,500'  of  8";  11,493  of  10";  5,332,  12;  2,238,  15;  291,  18; 
963,  20;  1,071,  21. 

Two  contracts  were  let  for  15" — 70c  per  ft  for  7.55'  deep, 
and  91c  for  7.5.  One  contract  for  18"  was  $1.21  at  7.5'  deep. 
One  contract  for  20",  $1.44  at  13.75'  deep.  One  for  21",  $1.52 
at  10'  deep.  For  24",  $1.96;  30",  $3.17. 

The  tile  bids  for  15"  ran  from  $1.04  to  $1.38  in  nat;  and 
$1.12  to  $1.40  in  Port  for  1,554';  for  18",  165',  nat,  $1,78  to 
$2.50;  Port,  $1.84  to  $2.53;  21",  825',  $1.98  to  $2.25;  and  $2.05 
to  $2.30. 


8-in  Price 
in  cents 

Average 
depth  in  ft 

10-in  Price 
in  cents 

Average 
depth  in  ft 

12-in  Price 
in  cents 

Average 
depth  in  ft 

51 

11.5 

60 

12 

70 

12 

53 

12.5 

69 

16 

99 

14.75 

89 

12.25 

60 

11.25 

65 

*7 

52 

11.55 

60 

10.2 

69 

12.9 

51 

9.37 

59 

8.85 

54 

8.25 

55 

13.3 

63 

13.5 

66 

10.4 

67 

12 

57 

12.4 

62 

11 

47 

11 

61 

12.5 

52 

9.7 

63 

13.2 

46 

11 

49 

12 

The  average  is  not  reliable  owing  to  variations  in  depth, 
but  it  is  interesting.  On  the  8"  the  aver  on  11  contracts  was 
55.46c  for  a  depth  of  11.47';  on  10,  61.33c  for  12.21  deep; 
on  12,  69.3c  for  10.9  deep. 

MANHOLES: — In  connection  with  the  sewers  there  were  503 
vertical  ft  of  manholes.  The  lowest  price  per  ft  was  $3.15; 
the  aver,  $3.38;  the  highest,  $3.81. 

FLUSH  TANK:— There  were  also  226  vert  ft  of  flush  tank 
with  an  average  price  of  $5.43;  the  highest  price  was  $9;  the 
lowest,  $4.35.  On  one  contract  for  12.7  ft  the  price  was  $9; 
eliminating  this  the  general  aver  was  $5.21. 
LEAD  AND  IRON:— From  75  to  80c  was  charged  for  463  ft 
of  lead  pipe;  43,619  Ibs  of  cast  iron  ran  from  3  to  4c. 


104  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

CONCRETE  SEWER:— On  a  13'-6"  concrete  sewer,  built  in 
Cleveland,  Ohio,  it  was  found  that  a  gang  of  eight  men  put 
13  cy  in  place  per  day. 

LARGE  BRICK  SEWERS: — In  Omaha,  Neb.,  some  large 
4-ring  brick  sewers  were  let: 

lO'-O"  diam,  per  foot  $21. 

ll'-3"  diam,  per  foot  $26.70. 

12'-0"  diam,  per  foot  $26.43. 
7'-6"xl6'   (I  bins  and  masonry),  $58  to  $76. 

Concrete  per  cy,  $7  to  $8. 

REINFORCED   SEWERS,   ETC. 

So  much  reinforced  and  brick  sewer  work  is  now  done  that 
the  following  prices  will  be  very  serviceable  for  approximate 
estimating.  They  are  from  "  The  Engineering  News." 

BIDS  RECEIVED  AT  DENVER,  COLO.,  FOR  VARIOUS  SEWERS 

325  If  4'x6'  reinforced  concrete  sewer,  per  ft $6.50 

702  If  4'x5'  reinforced  concrete  sewer,  per  ft 6.00 

11  If  4'x5'  reinforced  concrete  sewer,  under  tracks,  per  ft. .  15.50 
20  If  4'  6"  brick  in  concrete  sewer  under  tracks,  per  ft 14.00 

12  If  4'  c-i  pipe  in  concrete  sewer  under  tracks,  per  ft 21.00 

25  If  24"  vit  pipe  in  concrete  sewer  under  tracks,  per  ft. ...  6.00 

10  If  21"  vit  pipe  in  concrete  sewer  under  tracks,  per  ft. ...  5.80 

1,139  If  4'  6"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft. 4.80 

985  If  4'  4"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 4.70 

863  If  4'  2"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 4.60 

566  If  4'  0"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 4.35 

3,827  If  3'  8"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft . . . 3.80 

1,213  If  3'  6"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 3.65 

1,768  If  3'  4"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 3.50 

3,482  If  3'  2"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 3.40 

3,557  If  3'  0"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 3.35 

773  If  2'  10"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 2.90 

3,470  If  2'  8"  circular  2-ring  brick  sewer,  per  ft 2.80 

2,670  If  30"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 2.90 

4,362  If  27"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 2.30 

24"  vit  pipe  sewer 1.75 

10,109  If  21"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 1.50 

18,944  If  18"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 1.10 

23,057  If  15"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 83 

130  If  12"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft .65 

15,655  If  10"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 60 

1,165  If  8"  vit  pipe  sewer,  per  ft 51 


MUNICIPAL     WORK  105 

378  brick  manholes,  each $32.50 

112  sq  yd  sandstone  block  pavement  (relay),  per  yd 2.00 

270  sq  yd  macadam  pavement,  per  yd 1.50 

2,334  sq  yd  disintegrated  granite  pavement,  per  yd .60 

TOTALS $220,596 

SHEETING  AND  BRACING: — A  sewer  4,000'  long  was  built 
in  soft  soil  at  Gary,  Ind.,  in  1908.  Depth  ran  from  18'  to  30'. 
An  interesting  and  useful  item  is  the  cost  of  sheeting  and 
bracing  the  trench.  This  was  63c  per  If. 

The  total  cost  per  If  of  sewer  was  as  follows:  Excavation 
by  machine,  $0.58;  excavation  by  hand,  $3.15;  sheeting,  $0.63; 
pumping,  $1.84;  hauling  materials,  $0.87;  laying,  $2.61;  back- 
filling by  hand,  $0.18;  backfilling  by  machine,  $0.44;  materials, 
$3.53;  organization  and  general,  $0.68;  depreciation,  repairs, 
cost  of  setting  up  machines,  etc  (estimated),  $1.50;  cost  of 
making  3  railroad  crossing,  $2,500  (estimated),  $0.58;  total, 
$16.59. 

Aver  size  7'-0"  circular,  2£  ring,  and  6'-9"x9'-0'  oval. 

Price  of  sewer-pipe: 

3-inch 6c      10-inch 25c  20-inch $1.00 

4-inch 8c      12-inch 32c  24-inch 1 . 35 

6-inch 12c      15-inch 50c  30-inch 2.40 

8-inch 18c      18-inch 70c 

Ells  and  bands  run  about  3  to  4  times  more  than  straight 
pipe. 

CURBING:— More  than  3  miles  of  curbing  were  laid  in  8 
contracts.  Colorado  sandstone  ran  from  65  to  70c;  Bedford 
limestone,  67c;  artificial  stone  curb,  75c;  art  stone  curb  and 
gutter,  47c,  50,  57. 

STEEL  CORNER  BARS:— More  than  a  million  feet  of  galv 
steel  corner  bars  have  been  used  for  protecting  the  edges  of 
concrete  curbs.  The  cost  of  the  bar,  and  the  necessary  ties 
to  hold  it  in  place,  is  about  20c  per  If. 

CREOSOTED  BLOCK  PAVING: — Minneapolis  has  recently 
laid  a  good  deal  of  creosoted  block  paving.  The  price  on  a 
6"  concrete  base  is  from  $2.50  to  $2.90.  This  paving  has  been 
much  used  in  some  European  cities.  It  is  made  of  tamarack, 


106  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Norway  or  Southern  pine,  and  is  far  superior  to  the  cedar 
block  paving. 

A  NEBRASKA  VIADUCT  was  paved  with  this  material  but 
the  base  was  not  included. 

Material,  $1.46 
Labor,  .44 


$1.90 
Contractor's  profit  included. 

CULVERTS: — At  Pittsburg  a  culvert  of  26'  span  was  built  as 
below.  The  exact  cost  was  published  in  the  "Engineering 
Record,"  of  New  York,  N.  Y.  The  cost  of  1,439  yds  was  $7,- 
243.24,  or  $5.04  per  yd.  The  detailed  figures  are  a  trifle  less. 

MATERIAL 

Coarse  gravel,  19c  per  ton,  1 .03  tons $0.19$ 

Fine  era vel,  21c  per  ton,  0.40  tons .08$ 

Sand,  36c  per  ton,  0 . 32  tons 11$ 

Cement,  $1.60  per  bbl 1.53$ 

Lumber 43 

Tools  and  expenses 07| 

LABOR  2-43* 

Preparing  site  and  cleaning  up $0.21 

•     Porms 28 

Platforms  and  bldgs 05 

Changing  trestle  work,  train,  and  derrick 08$ 

Excavation 31 

.Handling  material 03| 

.Mixing  and  laying  concrete 1.44 

2.41J 
$4.85 

Laborers,  15$c  per  hour;  carpenters,  22$  to  25c;  foreman 
mason,  40c.     Hand  mixing,  1  to  8  and  1  to  10. 

The  cost  of  some  Ohio  city  work  in  detail  is  given  for  use 
.•as  follows: 


MUNICIPAL     WORK  107 

No.  1:— AN  ABUTMENT  and  6  piers  for  a  bridge.  Coffer 
dams,  sand,  and  stone  close  to  site.  Concrete,  1,542  yds,  cost 
$6.45  at  the  following  rates: 

Cement   ($2.10)    $1.58 

Sand 35 

Stone 75 

Lumber 64 

Tools   20 

Pumping .15 

Labor  ($1.75)    2.78 

$6.45 

No.  2:— TWO  ABUTMENTS,  434  YDS,  $6.08. 

Cement  ($1.70)    $1.48 

Sand    64 

Stone  1.00 

Lumber 40 

Tools   06 

Mixing  and  placing  1.13 

Forms    25 

$4.96 

Excavating  in  rock  or  shale,  not  really  to 

be  charged  to  concrete 1.12 

$6.08 

No.  3:— VIADUCT  PEDESTALS  8'  to  20'  HIGH,  570  YDS, 
$7.16. 

Cement  ($1.60)    $1.40 

Sand    53 

Stone  1.84 

Lumber 38 

Tools   05 

Labor    2.96 

$7.16 

No.  4:— PIER  56'  HIGH,  ABUTMENTS  AND  PEDESTALS, 

2,111  YDS,  $7.23. 

Cement   ($1.60)    $1.44 

Sand    60 

Stone 1.03 

Lumber 54 

Tools .25 

Water    03 

Labor 3.44 

$7.23 

The  following  tables  are  taken  from  "Reinforced  Concrete 
Construction,"  by  Carver,  David  Williams  Co.,  50c. 


108  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

ITEMIZED   COST  OF    REINFORCED   CONCRETE   ARCHES 
TO    CARRY   55-TON    INTERURBAN    CARS 

Cost  of  50'  Span  28'  Wide,  Reinforced  Concrete  Arch 

Steel,  27,700  Ibs  at  2£c $692.50 

Steel  Placing,  27,700  at  Ic 277.00 

Formwork  at  $1.00  per  cy  of  concrete..       370.00 

Cement,  481  bbls  at  $2.00 962.00 

Sand,  185  cy  at  $1.00 185.00 

Stone,  370  cy  at  $2.00 740.00 

Mixing  and  placing  370  cy  at  $1.50 555.00 

$3,781.50 
Incidentals  add  15% 567.22 

$4,348.72 
Profits  add  10% 434.87 

$4,783.59 
Cost  of  Reinforced  Concrete  Arch,  75'  Span  28'  Wide 

Steel,  38,800  Ibs  at  2£c 970.00 

Placing  Steel,  38,800  at  Ic 388.00 

Formwork  at  $1.00  per  cy  of  concrete..       740.00 

Cement,  962  bbls  at  $2.00 1,924.00 

Sand,  370  cy  at  $1.00 370.00 

Stone,  740  cy  at  $2.00 1,480.00 

Mixing  and  placing  740  cy  at  $1.50 1,110.00 

$6,982.00 
Incidentals  add  15% 1,047.30 

$8,029.30 
Profit  add  10% 802.93 

"$8,832.23 
Cost  of  Reinforced  Arch,  100'  Span  28'  Wide 

Steel,  55,650  Ibs  at  2£c $1,391.25 

Placing  Steel,  55,650  Ibs  at  Ic 556.50 

Formwork  at  $1.00  per  cy 1,008.00 

Cement,  1,310  bbls  at  $2.00 2,620.00 

Sand,  504  cy  at  $1.00 504.00 

Stone,  1,008  cy  at  $2.00 2,016.00 

Mixing  and  placing  1,008  cy  at  $1.50 1,512.00 

$9,607.75 
Incidentals  add  15% , 1,441.16 

$11,048.91 
Profit  add  10% 1,104.89 

$12,153.80 


MUNICIPAL     WORK 


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THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


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CHAPTEE  VII 

FIREPROOFING:       TILE:       REINFORCED    CONCRETE 

"  Few  probably  realize  that  during  the  first  quarter  of  1908 
the  value  of  buildings  destroyed  by  fire  practically  equaled 
the  contemplated  new  construction  during  these  three  months, 
and  these  figures  do  not,  of  course,  include  the  Chelsea  fire 
in  Boston  on  April  12.  A  careful  compilation  of  fire  losses 
published  month  by  month  estimates  the  total  losses  for  the 
first  three  months  of  1908  at  $64,795,600.  During  the  same 
time  the  estimated  cost  of  new  buildings,  according  to  plans 
filed  in  the  larger  cities  of  this  country,  which  represents  prob- 
ably between  80  and  90%  of  the  total  construction,  aggregated 
$64,796,850." 

We  shall  have  to  leave  the  experts  to  quarrel  over  what  is 
and  what  is  not  fireproofing.  We  have  tile  men  who  declare 
that  a  wall  or  floor  of  ex-metal  and  concrete  is  a  delusion  and 
a  snare;  and  they  furnish  photographs  of  building  wrecks  to 
support  their  theory;  and  on  the  side  of  systems  other  than 
terra-cotta,  porous  tile,  etc,  there  are  those  who  tell  us  that 
the  days  of  the  hollow  tile  arch  are  gone  and  point  to  many 
fine  modern  buildings  put  up  with  ex  metal  construction. 

One  thing  is  certain;  we  ought  to  build  more  fireproof 
buildings.  While  No.  2,  which  is  fireproofed,  was  under  con- 
struction a  large  portion  of  the  state  penitentiary  was 
destroyed  by  fire:  and  shortly  after  that  a  state  building  at 
Norfolk  went  up  in  flames  and  came  down  in  ashes.  Both 
were  of  wood  construction;  and  the  loss  on  these  two  alone 
would  have  nearly  fireproofed  all  the  non-fireproof  buildings 
belonging  to  the  state  of  Nebraska. 

In  a  great  fire  at  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  a  large  school  for 
the  deaf  and  dumb  was  burnt  to  the  ground.  About  the 
satne  time  another  expensive  Iowa  building  was  destroyed. 
In  another  $300,000  damage  was  done  to  the  state  capitol. 

These  are  only  a  few  instances  taken  from  this  one 
neighborhood  in  a  short  period,  but  they  show  the  folly  and 
danger  of  erecting  certain  classes  of  buildings  in  the  old 
style.  The  Irpquois  theater  horror  may  easily  be  duplicated 

any  day. 

112 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE  I    REINFORCED     CONCRETE        113 

One  of  the  most  reckless  ways  of  investing  money  now  is 
to  put  it  into  an  office  building  of  wood  construction;  one  of 
the  most  risky  things  from  the  business  point  of  view  is  to 
fill  such  a  building  with  valuable  records. 
FIRE  LOSS: — The  annual  property  losses  in  the  U.  S.  run 
to  $180,000,000.  Albany,  N.  Y.,  with  less  than  100,000  popu- 
lation burns  more  than  Berlin  with  1,800,000 — but  Berlin 
does  her  own  fire  insurance  and  has  strict  building  laws. 
Baltimore  burned  up  $100,000,000  in  a  day  and  night.  San 
Francisco  lost  far  more  by  fire  than  by  earthquake.  In  1905 
the  loss  in  the  U.  S.  was  about  $185,000,000;  in  1906,  $459,710, 
000,  but  San  Francisco  lost  $280,000,000  of  this.  This  is  a 
per  capita  loss  of  $5  for  the  U.  S.  and  Canada;  Germany  is 
49c;  Switzerland,  30c;  France,  30c;  Austria,  29c;  Denmark, 
26c;  Italy.  12c. 

CF  COST:— No.  2,  which  is  only  a  $40,000  shell,  cost  with  tile 
fireproofing  about  14c  per  cf. 

COMPARATIVE  COST:— It  may  be  said  that  approximately 
fireproofing  costs  from  10  to  25%  more  than  the  regular  con- 
struction. It  is  worth  50%  more  in  safety,  durability,  and 
lower  insurance  rates.  The  cost  of  ex  metal  fireproofing  as 
compared  with  wood  construction  is  given  by  the  official  pub- 
lication of  the  companies  as  from  8  to  20%  more. 

In  1905  "Fireproof  Magazine,"  Chicago,  published  some 
valuable  statistics  comparing  the  two  systems,  which  I  include 
here  by  courtesy.  The  Keeley  Company  had  put  up  some 
buildings  at  Dwight,  111.  They  cost  $150,000,  and  were  de- 
stroyed by  a  great  fire.  The  architect  (Mr.  Fitzpatrick) 
suggested  strictly  fireproof  structures.  The  hotel  was  to  be 
137x138,  three  stories  and  basement.  The  detailed  estimates 
are  as  follows: 

ORDINARY  CONSTRUCTION 

Excavating  3,000  yds  at  25c  per  yd $750.00 

Concrete    Foundations    and    Walls,    21,000'    at    20c 

per   cf    4,200.00 

Concrete  Porch  Cols,  18,  at  $100  each 1,800.00 

Concrete  Floors  in  Basement,  10,000'  at  15c  per  ft..     1,500.00 

Concrete  Floor  Deadening,  26,000'  at  3c  per  ft 780.00 

Common  Brick,  500,000  at  $12.00  per  M 6,000.00 

Pressed  Brick,  15.000  at  $50.00  per  M 750.00 

Paving  Brick,  125,000  at  $23.00  per  M 2,875.00 

Terra   Cotta   Work 4,800.00 


114  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Ordinary  Construction— Continued 

Cleaning  Brick  and  Terra  Gotta  Work 500.00 

Iron  Cols,  Interior  Building 3,500.00 

€ut  Stone  2,700.00 

Rough  Carpentry,  250,000'  of  Framing  at  $30.00 

per  M  7,500.00 

Mill  Work  Complete,  Including  Trim,  Stairs,  and 

Finished   Floors,    Glazing,   Painting,   and   Oiling, 

Complete  24,200.00 

Hardware  1,800.00 

Roofing  and  Flashing  1,185.00 

Sheet  Metal  Work  2,100.00 

Plastering  on  Lath,  17,500  yds  at  30c  per  yd 5,250.00 

Mosaic  Floors,  8,333'  at  60c  per  ft 5,000.00 

Marble  Work  1,335.40 

Scagliola 1,950.00 

Steam  Cooking  Apparatus  1,250.00 

Refrigeration  785.00 

Steam  Heating  (Exclusive  of  Boilers) 5,700.00 

Electric  Wiring  and  Telephones 3,450.00 

Plumbing  7,500.00 

Window  and  Door  Screens 1,200.00 

Electric  Light  Fixtures  2,500.00 

Total  $102,860.40 

Architect's  Fees  and  Superintendence 10,286.04 

Grand  Total  $113,146.44 

This  is  about  12c  per  cf,  or  $6  per  sq  ft  of  ground  area. 

FIREPROOF  CONSTRUCTION 

Excavating  3,000  yds  at  25c  per  yd $750.00 

Concrete  Foundations  and  Walls,  21,000'  at  20c 

per  ft  4,200.00 

Concrete  Porch  Cols,  18,  at  $100  each 1,800.00 

Concrete  Floors  in  Basement,  10,000'  at  15c  per  ft. .  1,500.00 
Concrete  Filling  over  Floor  Arches,  26,000'  at 

5c  per  ft  1,300.00 

Common  Brick,  500,000  at  $12.00  per  M 6,000.00 

Pressed  Brick,  15,000  at  $50.00  per  M 750.00 

Paving  Brick,  125,000  at  $23.00  per  M 2,875.00 

Terra  Cotta  Work 4,800.00 

Cleaning  Brick  and  Terra  Cotta  Work 500.00 

Structural  Steel  and  Iron  Work 19,721.51 

Iron  Stairs  and  Ornamental  Work 8,900.00 

Rough  Carpentry  2,500.00 

Mill  Work  Complete,  Including  Trim,  Glazing,  and 

Painting,   all   Complete,    (Exclusive   of   Finished 

Floors  and  Base)  16,500.00 

Hardware  1,800.00 

Roofing  and  Flashing  1,180.00 

Sheet  Metal  Work  2,100.00 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE:    REINFORCED     CONCRETE        115 

Plastering,  17,500  yds  on  tile  at  22c  per  yd 3,850.00 

Cut  Stone  2,705.00 

Mosaic  Floors,  8,333'  at  60c  per  ft 5,000.00 

Marble  Work    1,335.40 

Scagliola  1,950.00 

Steam  Cooking  Apparatus   1,250.00 

Refrigeration   785.00 

Fireproof  Floor  Arches,  Partitions,  Etc 16,500.00 

Steam  Heating  (Exclusive  of  Boilers) 5,700.00 

Electric  Wiring  and  Telephones   3,450.00 

Plumbing    7,500.00 

Window  and  Door  Screens 1,200.00 

Electric  Light  Fixures    2,500.00 

Monolith  Floors,  29,000'  at  18c  per  ft 5,220.00 

Monolith  Base,  8,524'  at  25c  per  ft 2,131.00 

Total $138,252.91 

Architect's  Fees  and  Superintendence 13,825.29 

Grand   Total    $152,078.20 

This  is  about  16c  per  cf,  or  $8.05   per  sq  ft  of  ground  area. 

The  architect  says :  "  This  shows  an  apparent  difference  be- 
tween the  cost  of  the  different  modes  of  construction  of 
$38,931.76,  but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  building  con- 
structed after  the  ordinary  methods  should  carry  insurance 
for  an  amount  equal  to  75%  of  its  cost,  while  if  constructed 
from  fireproof  materials,  being  an  isolated  building,  it  will 
not  be  necessary  to  have  it  insured  at  all,  except  as  to  its 
contents,  as  there  are  absolutely  no  combustible  materials  in 
its  makeup,  except  the  doors  and  trim,  all  of  its  structural 
parts,  including  all  of  the  floors,  being  absolutely  non-com- 
"bustible. 

The  rate  of  insurance  upon  this  building ,  if  erected 
with  ordinary  construciton,  will  be  $1.50  per  $100  insurance 
per  annum;  75%  of  $113,146.44  is  $84,859.83;  1*%  of  this 
amount,  the  annual  premium,  is  $1,272.90.  To  produce  this 
premium  at  the  present  value  of  money  it  would  be  neces- 
sary to  invest  $25,458  at  5%  per  annum.  This  amount  added 
to  $113,146.44  equals  $138,604.44,  so  that  the  real  difference  of 
.the  cost  of  the  building,  if  constructed  of  fireproof  materials, 
over  the  cost  of  construction  by  ordinary  methods  is  only 
$13,473.76,  or  in  other  words,  9.72%." 

The  fireproof  system  was  wisely  chosen. 

Another  table  for  a  good  second  class  building  in  a  big 
city  is  this  one  with  percentages: 


116 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


I 


fe 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE:    REINFORCED     CONCRETE        117 

OTHER  INSTANCES  CITED  ARE: 

Fireproof  Ordinary 

2  Apartment  Houses 23ic  21|c 

Fine  Residence 26c  28c 

Warehouse,  Slow  Burning,  13c; 16c  ll^c 

Theater 33c  30T3Tc 

Church 23|c  22£c 

Car  Barn .' lOc  9c 

Apartment  house,  16%  difference. 

Warehouse,    slow   burning,    $81,600;    concrete    fireproofing, 
$83,810;  tile  fireproofing,  $85,400;  ordinary,  $78,340. 

Colorado  court-house,   fireproof,   $90,500;    ordinary,   $84,6.30. 

Boston  factory,  fireproof,  $35,000;  ordinary,  $33,000. 

Apartment   house,    Washington,    D.    C.:    fireproof,    $20,864; 
ordinary,  $18,800. 

Warehouse,    fireproof,    $166,000;     slow    burning,    $158,000; 
ordinary,  $150,000. 

Retail    store,    Los    Angeles,    fireproof,    $47,500;     ordinary, 
$43,680. 

Store  and  office,  Boston,  fireproof,  $30,320;  ordinary,  $26,170. 

Quite  a  number  more  of  instances  of  the  difference  in  cost 
are  given.    The  highest  is  16%. 

COMPARATIVE  COST:— "So  much  has  been  said  about  the 
relative  cost  of  frame,  brick,  and  hollow  block  houses,  that  a 
builder  in  Wilkes-Barre,  Pa.,  recently  decided  to  practically 
determine  the  question,  and  to  that  end  he  erected  in  the 
same  locality  three  houses  of  the  same  size  and  arrangement. 
One  house  was  built  entirely  of  wood,  the  second  was  of  con- 
crete with  wooden  floors,  and  the  third  was  of  hollow  tile 
blocks  and  concrete.  When  the  experiment  had  been  com- 
pleted it  was  found  that  the  cost  of  the  wooden  structure  was 
$6,000,  the  one  of  tile  and  concrete  was  $6,500,  and  the  one 
of  concrete  $8,900.  The  builder  regarded  the  tile  and  concrete 
house  as  the  cheapest,  so  far  as  durability  was  concerned. 
He  also  regarded  it  as  likely  to  be  warmer  in  winter  and 
cooler  in  summer  by  reason  of  the  air  spaces  in  the  hollow 
blocks  being  poor  conductors  of  heat  and  cold." — "Carpentry 
and  Building." 

COMPARATIVE  COST: — A  concrete  specialist  says,  ("Sweet's 
Index,"  page  136)  "Reinforced  concrete  construction  costs 


118  .       THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

from  10  to  15%  more  than  wood,  and  from  20  to  25%  less  than 
structural  steel  fireproofing  with  terra  cotta." 

Setting  ordinary  construction  at  100,  reinforced  at  113,  this 
would  put  the  steel  and  terra  cotta  system,  allowing  22%  at 
145,  which  is  far  too  high. 

COST: — Reinforced  fireproofing  has  been  greatly  reduced  in 
cost  since  the  end  of  the  century.  Such  improvements  have 
been  made  in  the  machinery  for  manufacturing  Port  cement, 
and  the  methods  of  handling  the  work,  that  systems  are 
better  built  and  also  cheaper. 

HOLLOW  TILE 

Prices 

8,  9,  10"  Floor  or  RoofArches  set 24c  per  sqft 

12,  14" 24  to  28c 

16,  18" 25  to  35c 

4"  Partitions 14c  per  sq  f 

6" 17c  per  sq  ft 

8" 21c  per  sqft 

3"  Roof  Tile,  13c;  3"  Book  Tile,  12x17 7c  per  sqft 

2"  Furring  Tile 7c  per  sqft 

i"  Ceiling  Tile 6c  per  sqft 

Girder  Covering 15  to  25c  per  If 

Col  Covering 30  to  $1.00  perlf 

These  prices  are  for  work  set  in  place.  Of  course  they  are 
for  straight  work.  Floor  tile  might  run  to  50c  instead  of  28; 
and  wages  instead  of  being  45  to  55c  per  hour  might  be  60  to 
65c  for  bricklayers  who  have,  as  a  rule,  to  be  broken  into  the 
work.  Roof  tile  is  usually  thinner  than  floor  tile  and  easier 
laid,  but  the  hoisting  costs  more,  so  that  for  an  ordinary  job 
it  is  not  worth  while  to  make  any  deduction. 

The  raw  material  fob  Omaha  runs  about  as  follows: 

8,  9,  10"  Arch  Tile 15c  per  sq  ft 

16  to  18" 17c  per  sq  ft 

4"  Partition,  8c;  6,  lie;  8 14c  per  sq  ft 

3"  Roof  Tile 9c  per  sq  ft 

2"  furring  Tile 4c  per  sq  ft 

Ceiling  Tile 5c  per  sq  ft 

Girder  Covering 10  to  20c  per  If 

Col  Covering 25  to  50c  per  If 

But  of  course  better  prices  are  given  on  a  lump  job, 
especially  if  the  mackolite,  monolith,  concrete  men  are  in 


\  FIREPROOFING I    TILE:    REINFORCED     CONCRETE        110 

attendance.  Competition  is  the  death  of  prices.  When  near 
the  factory  a  cut  can  be  made.  The  freight  on  No.  2  for  ex- 
ample, was  $1,500,  or  about  J  of  the  total  cost. 

The  Floor  and  Roof  Tile  about $0.15    per  sq  ft 

Lumber  on  No.  2  cost  nearly 01    per  sq  ft 

Lime  Mortar 025 

Labor. , 05 

Incidentals .005 

$0.24 

But  this  is  on  the  basis  of  45c  per  hour,  the  rate  at  which 
the  work  was  done.  For  62£c  the  total  should  be  26c;  for 
rise  in  lumber  allowance  to  1913;  and  using  cement  in  place 
of  lime  the  cost  should  be  28c. 

BID  IN  PLACE: — It  is  in  general  safer  for  a  contractor  to 
get  a  bid  from  the  tile  company  for  the  work  set  in  place — • 
not  delivered  on  the  cars.  There  is  sometimes  a  good  deal 
of  breakage.  If  bid  is  taken  for  material  it  is  better  to  have 
it  understood  that  enough  is  to  be  furnished  to  complete  the 
job,  and  not  a  certain  number  of  sq  ft.  The  manufacturer 
does  not  like  this  as  it  throws  the  breakage  on  him,  but  while 
a  contractor  is  careful  and  conscientious  he  does  not  like  to- 
run  against  a  shortage.  A  sufficient  guarantee  for  the  manu- 
facturer is  that  the  contractor,  if  he  hauls  and  sets  the  tile, 
does  not  care  to  pay  for  handling  it  any  oftener  than  possible, 
and  thus  guards  against  breakage. 

STEEL: — Steel  is  not  estimated  in  any  of  the  systems.  Some- 
times a  company  puts  in  a  bid  on  the  basis  of  its  own  steel 
plans,  using  lighter  construction  than  the  architect.  In  put- 
ting in  a  bid  on  a  complete  building  with  a  certified  check  it 
is  necessary  to  mention  any  departure  from  the  weights,  or 
else  the  contractor  may  be  held  to  the  cheap  fireproofing 
coupled  with  the  heavy  beams. 

MEASUREMENT: — Except  for  beams,  cols,  etc,  which  are 
taken  by  the  If,  all  work  is  measured  by  the  sq  ft.  Floor  and 
roof  tile  are  of  various  shapes  to  suit  the  part  of  the  arch  to 
which  they  belong. 

QUANTITY: — Waste  ought  to  be  within  3%,  but  sometimes 
tile  are  smashed  in  cars.  Mortar,  which  has  to  be  much 
richer  than  for  ordinary  brickwork,  may  be  estimated  on 


120  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

basis  of  175  bbls  for  the  fireproofing  on  No.  2,  as  noted  under 
"  Labor."  The  necessary  lumber  for  hanging  centering  below 
I  beams  cost  $140.  Half  a  yd  of  sand  to  a  bbl  of  lime  is  more 
than  ought  to  be  used. 

LABOR:— On  No.  2  16,500  sq  ft  of  12"  floor  tile;  5,,500  of  10" 
roof  tile;  5,500  of  ceiling  tile;  4,200  of  4"  partition;  15  cols; 
351  If  of  I  beams  took  for  labor  and  hoisting  $1,700,  with 
bricklayers'  wages  at  45c.  But  the  subcontractor  who  did 
the  work  had  unfavorable  conditions  to  contend  with.  Haul- 
ing is  not  included.  A  haul  of  a  mile  costs  about  50c  per  ton. 

A  fair  price  for  labor  on  the  tile  fireproofing  per  sq  ft  is 
about  as  follows:  Floor  and  roof  arches,  4J  to  5c;  ceilings, 
1  to  lie;  partitions,  3£  to  4c;  beams  and  cols,  4c.  If  every- 
thing goes  well  this  will  cover  the  cost  at  45c  per  hour.  These 
prices  would  have  run  No.  2  to  about  $1,400. 

No.  3  is  fireproofed  throughout  on  wood  for  ceilings,  but 
with  tile  partitions  and  wall  linings.  The  prices  are  practi- 
cally the  same  as  for  No.  2.  Bricklayers'  wages  in  several 
cities  are  now  62*c,  and  an  extra  allowance  has  to  be  made 
from  the  45c  basis. 

DAY'S  WORK: — A  mason  with  2  laborers  should  lay  about 
250  sq  ft  of  floor  tile  in  a  9-hour  day,  with  a  boy  and  a  horse 
for  hoisting.  On  No.  2  this  meant  at  45c  and  20c,  $4.05  and 
twice  $1.80,  with  $3.50  for  horse  and  boy,  $11.15  per  day,  or 
about  4£c  per  ft. 

About  as  much,  or  a  larger  amount  of  partitions,  if  straight 
work,  should  be  done  with  the  same  gang. 

REINFORCED       CONCRETE       FIREPROOFING 

Readers  of  the  hollow  tile  and  stone  journals  know  that 
they  seldom  miss  a  chance  to  score  against  fireproofing 
with  metal  and  concrete,  and  to  publish  photographs  of 
any  wrecks.  It  is  the  fight  of  the  ancient  and  the  accepted 
against  the  newcomer.  One  wreck  hurts  a  system  that  is, 
in  the  main,  successful.  The  trouble  is  often  due  to  the 
removal  of  forms  too  soon,  to  poor  concrete,  or  design. 

A  tunnel  260  ft  long  on  Not  2  is  roofed  with  expanded 
metal  and  concrete.  Nos.  7  and  14  have  large  lavatories 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE!    REINFORCED     CONCRETE        121 

on  the  same  kind  of  base.  The  weight  of  3"  mesh  is  from  0.2  to 
1.36  Ibs.  to  thesq.  ft. 

PRICE: — Their  prices  vary  according  to  load  and  span.  A 
span  of  8  ft  with  3"  of  concrete  from  17  to  20c  per  sq  ft, 
depending  upon  locality  and  cost  of  material.  From  8  to  20' 
spans,  25  to  28c.  "  These  prices  are  for  wood  floors,  5c  per 
sq  ft  to  be  added  for  finished  concrete  floors,  taking  the 
piece  of  wood."  There  is  also  an  addition  of  5c  per  sq  ft  for 
heavy  warehouse  floors,  up  to  600  and  800  Ibs  per  sq  ft;  or  for 
top  dressing  and  warehouse  floors  90c  a  sq  yd,  which  added 
to  the  base  touches  $3  per  sq  yd. 

The  actual  cost  of  the  work  on  No.  2  was  $1.50  per  sq.  yd. 
at  3"  thick,  and  it  was  strong  enough  to  carry  loaded  wagons. 
But  there  was  no  profit  at  this  figure,  and  wages  were  lower 
than  in  large  cities.  If  well  built  the  system  is  an  undoubted 
success. 

WALLS: — For  walls  of  ex  metal  and  concrete  2"  thick,  not 
too  far  from  ground,  allow  $2  to  $3  per  sq  yd. 

MEASUREMENT: — Unless  of  a  special  nature  all  work  is 
measured  by  the  sq  ft. 

PROGRESS: — The  developments  in  ex  metal  and  concrete  are 
astonishing.  Sewers,  culverts,  tanks,  bridges,  and  a  hundred 
other  structures  are  now  built  of  the  combined  materials;  and 
if  we  include  ex  metal  lath  there  is  no  end  to  the  decorative 
possibilities  of  our  latest  triumph.  The  work  already  done 
speaks  for  itself.  There  is  room  for  both  tile  and  concrete 
construction.  In  the  United  States  alone,  thousands  of  build- 
ings, costing  from  several  millions  of  dollars  down  to  a  few 
hundreds,  have  been  erected  according  to  this  modern  style. 
As  may  be  noted  on  page  470  one  company  alone  had  put  up 
22,000  before  1913.  Some  of  the  more  enthusiastic  believers 
in  the  system  assert  that  reinforced  work  will  ultimately 
displace  stone  and  brickwork,  but  these  have  lasted  too  long 
in  the  history  of  the  world  to  be  now  set  aside.  Besides, 
they  have  qualities  that  the  newer  combination  lacks. 
QUANTITY: — The  metal  costs  from  5c  to  6c  per  sq  ft.  The 
concrete  may  be  estimated  from  the  quantities  given  in  Chap 
III.  Temporary  boards  or  planks  have  to  be  used  under  the 
complete  space  to  be  covered.  They  should  be  smooth  on  the 


122  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

finished  side.  So  closely  does  the  cement  take  on  the  face 
of  the  board  that  one  sees  a  clearly  photographed  inverted  re- 
production of  the  most  delicate  grain  of  the  wood. 

SPAN: — Panels  are  made  as  large  as  20x20'  without  a  support 
— and  a  New  Orleans  drainage  canal  is  13'  wide  in  the  clear 
by  hundreds  of  ft  long.  A  span  of  4  to  8'  is  usual.  The 
material  comes  8'  long,  and  in  3',  3'-6",  4',  and  5'  widths. 
Ends  of  metal  should  be  lapped  2"  but  not  laced  or  nailed 
even  if  wood  joists  are  used,  for  the  concrete  slab  ties  the 
whole  together. 

SIZES: — "We  usually  use  in  our  concrete  work  No.  16  gage, 
2£"  mesh,  and  would  recommend  that  for  floors  of  5'  or  6' 
spans,  or  even  up  to  8'  spans.  For  metal  lath,  we  use  C  16", 
"We  never  fasten  the  sheets  of  our  floor  material,  excepting  to 
take  some  of  the  straight  ends  of  the  sheets  and  turn  them 
up  over  the  diamonds  of  the  other  sheets." 
FORMS: — For  a  wall  a  plank  lining  has  to  be  put  on  both 
sides  the  required  thickness  apart,  say  2",  and  then  the  metal 
being  fastened  in  position  the  concrete  is  poured  in  to  the 
top.  More  plank  is  then  put  on  top  and  shored  plumb;  and 
so  on  to  the  roof.  For  a  low  building  the  system  works  well, 
but  it  is  rather  expensive.  But  lighter  foundations  can  be 
used  than  for  ordinary  masonry. 

CINDER  CONCRETE: — Cinders  are  often  used  for  stone,  as 
the  floor  is  lighter,  and  they  have  had  a  preliminary  burning 
to  prepare  them  for  the  test.  Cinder  concrete  averages  95.1bs 
to  cf,  while  stone  runs  to  140. 

PRONG  STUD  PARTITIONS:— Partitions  are  made  of  |  or 
fxf  iron  studs  set  same  as  wood,  and  secured  to  floor  and 
ceiling.  Each  sheet  of  lath  is  tied  about  4  times  to  studs,  and 
a  lap  is  made.  For  ordinary  work  the  lath  goes  on  only  one 
side,  and  the  1£  or  2"  thickness  of  plaster  covers  all  iron. 
Where  room  for  pipes,  etc,  is  required,  wider  studs  are  used 
and  lath  is  put  on  both  sides.  Studs  with  prongs  to  hook  on 
lath  are  also  used.  (See  "Structural  Steel.") 

LABOR: — The  metal  is  easily  laid  if  there  are  no  obstructions, 
and  if  the  ordinary  system  is  followed.  Sometimes  beams  are 
to  be  surrounded.  See  "  Cost  Data  "  in  this  Chap. 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE:    REINFORCED     CONCRETE        123 

VARIOUS   SYSTEMS   AND  COST 

Ex  metal  came  first,  but  there  are  now  (1913)  so  many 
systems  of  concrete  fireproofing,  and  such  differences  in 
loads,  spans,  etc,  that  a  detailed  plan  is  necessary  before 
an  estimate  can  be  made;  even  approximate  figures  are  of 
much  service,  however. 

COST: — The  cost  of  cols  per  cf  varies  a  good  deal.  One  col 
might  be  so  constructed  as  to  cary  a  given  load  at  16x16"; 
while  another  plan  might  call  for  a  20x20"  col  for  the  same 
load  and  span.  The  stronger  steel  reinforcement  necessary  in 
the  smaller  col  would  make  the  cf  cost  far  higher  than  in  the 
other.  The  only  method  of  making  an  estimate  is  to  get  the 
weight  of  the  reinforcement,  and  allow  the  concrete  sep- 
arately. 

COSTS: — The  following  prices  are  taken  from  the  work  of 
Buel  &  Hill: 

"A  building  of  the  factory  type  of  reinforced  concrete 
throughout,  includings  footings,  outside  and  inside  cols,  walls, 
girders,  beams,  and  floor  plates,  roofs  and  stairs,  will  cost  the 
contractor  seldom  less  than  $20  per  cy  of  concrete  in  place,, 
and  of  this  cost  from  25  to  35%  will  be  for  forms,  including 
materials,  erection  and  removal."  (This  figure  is  far  too* 
high.) 

But  there  is  much  difference  in  buildings. 

"  For  example,  the  cost  of  the  Ingalls  Building  at  Cincinnati, 
including  foundations,  cols,  walls,  floors,  stairs,  etc,  was  $5.85 
per  cy  of  concrete  in  place,  whereas  in  constructing  a  4  story 
shoe  factory  in  the  same  city,  including  only  footings,  beams, 
and  floor  plates,  the  forms  cost  the  same  contractor  $6.25  per 
cy  of  concrete  in  place. 

"  For  floor  slabs  of  ex  metal  construction,  forms  may  bo 
as  low  as  $2.20  per  cy  on  a  16'  span  with  a  400  Ib  load,  and  as 
high  as  $3.25  on  a  16'  span  with  a  100  Ib  load. 

"For  beam  and  plate  construction  forms  run  from  $5.50  on 
a  16'  span  and  500  Ib  load,  to  $10.50  on  the  same  span  and  100' 
Ib  load. 

"  The  forms  for  concrete  steel  floors  will  cost  from  4£  to  6c 
per  sq  ft  including  everything. 


124  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

"The  forms  for  a  concrete  wall  4"  thick  will  cost  from  8 
to  lie  per  sq  ft,  measured  on  one  side  only. 
"  The  forms  for  cols  cost  about  22c  per  If. 
"  For  floor  work  forms  range  from  10  to  20c  per  sq  ft. 
"Experience  on  about  30  buildings  shows  that  it  is  rarely 
possible  to  furnish  centering  and   remove   it  for  much   less 
than  $4  per  cy.    The  cost  should  never  exceed  $6." 
CONDUITS: — On    a    number    of    large    conduits,    forms,    ex 
metal,  and  concrete,  but  no  excavation,  cost  was  $10.50  per 
cy.     In  another  part  of  the  book  conduit  work  is  priced  at 
$6.20. 

On  the  $10.50  work  the  labor  is  given  as  follows:   "  On  the  6' 
sewer  the  forms  were  made  8'  long;  and  two  sections,  or  16  If 
were  built  in  from  8  to  9  hours,  including  setting  of  forms, 
by  one  foreman,  one  carpenter  and  fifteen  laborers.    The  total 
was  13  cy  of  concrete."     This  6'  sewer  was  not  reinforced. 
The  same  gang  built  14  If  of  8'-6"  sewer  in  10  hours. 
The  9'  conduit  contained  20  cy  of  concrete,  1,200  sq  ft  ex 
metal,  125  bags  of  cement  for  section  13'-6"  long. 

The   forms   were   covered   with   No.   27   galv   iron   on   the 
outside  to  leave  a  smooth  surf  on  the  finished  work. 
^CLEANING: — Cleaning  bridges  of  concrete  cost  60c  per  sq  yd. 
On  a  plain  part,  not  including  mouldings,  balusters,  etc,  the 
•cost  was  only  20c. 

COST:— For  cols  and  floors  taken  together,  the  owner  of  one 
system  allows,  as  an  approximate  estimate,  60c  per  sq  ft; 
but  under  the  best  conditions  this  is  sometimes  cut  down  to 
40c. 

KAHN   SYSTEM 

FORMS: — For  forms  for  the  Kahn  system,  take  the  area  of 
floor  concrete  only  and  allow  15c  per  sq  ft.  Of  course  the 
first  floor  costs  a  great  deal  more,  possibly  two  to  three  times 
as  much,  but  the  lumber  used  there  serves  also  for  the  upper 
floors. 

WASTE:— The  waste  of  lumber  is  from  12  to  15%  per  floor. 
COST  OF  CONCRETE:— Allow  for  concrete  $6.50  to  $8.50  per 
cy,  including  profit. 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE:    REINFORCED     CONCRETE         125 

STAIRS:— For  stairs  allow  $1.50  per  If  of  steps;  i.  e.,  for  a 
6'  step  complete,  $9. 

TILE: — Tile  is  used  between  the  concrete  to  lighten  the  load. 
For  6",  8c  each;  10",  lOc. 

STEEL: — Steel  in  place,  $75  per  ton.    Allow  steel  extra. 
COST:— The  cost  of  the  system  runs  from  35  to  40c  per  sq 
ft  of  floors,  but  the  difference  of  spans,  load  allowances,  etc, 
is  so  great  that  the  best  way  is  to  figure  tile,  steel,  and  con- 
crete separately. 

A  roof,  several  hundred  ft  long,  with  a  span  of  150',  was 
estimated  on  the  Kahn  system  for  30c  per  sq  ft  in  place. 
The  steel  trusses  were  not  included. 

Some  approximate  figures  from  the  Kahn  Co.  Eng'r  Dep't, 
are  as  follows: 

COST  OF  FLOORS  PER  SQ  FT 

Small  Slab  and  Roof  Work,  not  including  any 
Beams 20  to  30c 

Floor  Slabs  and  Beams,  supported  by  Walls,  fair  size 
Rooms  35  to  45c 

Complete  Reinforced  Concrete  Skeleton  Construction 
across  Floor  Slab,  Girders,  Cols  and  their  Foot- 
ings, with  Cols  and  Beams  in  the  outside  Walls, 
but  no  Walls  included 50  to  65c 

No  finished  floors  included. 

All  form  work  included  in  above. 

COST  OF  FORMS  PER  SQ  FT 

Simple  Slabs,  no  Beams 5  to      7c 

For  Beams  and  Cols,  all  Surf  taken 8  to     lOc 

No  profit  included  in  forms  as  given. 

COST  OF  CONCRETE 

LABOR  mixing  and  placing,  from  $1  to  $1.50  per  cy.  The 
cost  of  a  yd,  therefore,  is  about  $5.75  without  any  profit  or 
forms. 

"  Two  contractors  doing  the  same  kind  of  a  job  are  apt  to 
vary  100%  in  the  cost  of  form  work." 

Steel  is  not  priced,  but  $75  per  ton  in  the  building  is  safe. 


126  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

" M  "  SYSTEM 

COST: — For  another  Eastern  system  the  following  figures 
are  supplied: 

"  Steel  in  New  York,  2£c  per  Ib,  not  set." 

Concrete,  20c  per  cf. 

Forms  (in  which  the  saving  is  made)  4c  to  5c  a  sq  ft  for 
floors,  girders,  and  beams.  This  amounts  to  10  to  12c  of  surf 
measure,  as  girders  are  then  included. 

Concrete  for  cols  about  the  same  as  for  floors. 

Forms  for  cols,  when  used  several  times,  about  4c  per  sq  ft.'' 
— Standard  Concrete  Steel  Co.,  New  York. 
RANSOME  bars  cost  about  3c  per  Ib,  New  York. 

PROPORTIONS 

The  proportions  vary.  One  authority  gives  I,  i*,  3  for 
light  cols,  thin  roof  beams,  and  ornamental  work. 

For  beams,  floor  slabs,  and  cols,  1,  2,  4  or  1,  2,  5  ifa  about 
right. 

For  non-bearing  walls,  reinforced  piers  and  footings,  1,  3,  5. 
For  heavy  concrete,  1,  3,  6  to  1,  4,  8. 
For  finishing  floors,  1  to  2,  to  1  to  3  cement  and  sand. 
STEEL: — "Floors  require  from  2£  to  6  Ibs  of  reinforcement 
per  sq  ft  according  to  load,  including  slabs,  beams,  girders, 
cols,  lintels,  and  footings." 

FORMS: — "Forms  may  cost  from  50c  to  $2  per  cy  of  con- 
crete placed.  On  a  small  building  the  unit  cost  is  larger, 
because  the  forms  can  not  be  so  often  used." 

FERRO  INCLAVE 

SIZE  OF  SHEETS: — The  sheets  are  made  from  10'  long  down, 

and  20"  wide. 

COST:— The  cost  in  1913  is  about  as  follows,  fob  Cleveland: 

Less  than  car-load  lots,  $8.25  to  $10.60,  depending  upon 
length.  In  car-load  lots  $7.75  to  $10.  If  sheets  are  curved 
allow  about  50c  extra. 

These  prices  include  clips  and  crossties. 
CAR-LOAD: — A  rnimimum  car-load  is  190  sq. 
WEIGHT:— A  sq   (100   sq  ft)    with  clips,  etc,  weighs  abou*. 
163  Ibs. 


FIREPROOFING :    TILE!    REINFORCED     CONCRETE         127 

COST: — Work  in  place  with  concrete  costs  according  to  span 
and  load.  An  average  roof  with  waterproof  covering  is 
worth  from  $20  to  $23  per  sq.  If  plastered  on  the  underside 
add  plastering  at  35c  per  sq  yd.  A  floor  averages  about  $31, 
plastered.  Partitions  and  walls,  both  sides,  from  $2  to  $4 
more  than  roofs. 

ASBESTOS 

COST  OF  ROLLS:— For  &  thick,  4  Ibs  to  sq  yd,  and  4c  per 
Ib  delivered. 

For  £,  7  Ibs  and  5c. 

For  plain  work,  14"  blocks,  19c. 

ASBESTOS  LUMBER  is  made  of  asbestos  fibre  and  Port 
cement.  "  Perfectly  fireproof,  and  not  affected  by  moisture  or 
frost."  The  following  price  list  is  subject  to  a  discount  of 
20%  at  the  factory,  Ambler,  Pa.;  and  10%  at  Omaha: 

Standard  Size  of  Sheets,  42x48"  and  42x96" 
Color,  Newport  Gray 


Thickness        Price 
per  sq  ft     per  sq  ft 

Prices  to 

Approximate 
weight 

3  works 

Thickness 
per  sq  ft 

Price 
per  sq  ft 

Approximate 
weight 

i"         .10 

if  nil 

W 

.32* 

4Jlbs 

A;       .12* 

If  Ibs 

A* 

.35 

4§lbs 

.15 

2    Ibs 

M" 

.37* 

5    Ibs 

1 

.17* 

.20 

2Jlbs 
2|  Ibs 

1 

.40 
.42* 

5Jlbs 
5f  Ibs 

$2 

.22* 

3    Ibs 

9  n 

.45 

6    Ibs 

A 

.25 

3Jlbs 

w 

47i 

6|lbs 

$ 

.27* 

3|  Ibs 

f" 

.50 

6*  Ibs 

I               .30" 

4    Ibs 

// 

.00 

00  Ibs 

REINFORCED    ASBESTOS    CORRUGATED    SHEATHING 

Employed    for    roofing,    siding,    awnings,    elevators,    train 
sheds,  rolling  mills,  etc,  on  structures  of  medium  cost. 

Corrugated  Asbestos  Sheathing  is  reinforced  with  |"  mesh 
woven  wire  netting,  thus  insuring  the  greatest  strength,  both 
lineal  and  transverse.     It  is  made  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  and  10'  long. 
Price  per  sq  ft  with  2J  corrugations,  18c. 
Price  per  sq  ft  with  1£  corrugations,  21c, 

Discounts  as  on  lumber. 


128  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

ASBESTOS  SHINGLES:— These  are  of  a  great  variety  of 
sizes,  styles,  and  prices.  They  are  usually  laid  on  the  roof 
in  the  French,  or  diagonal  fashion.  The  common  size  is  12 
x!2",  160  to  the  sq,  |  thick,  $9.10  unlaid,  Omaha;  and  $7.25  at 
Ambler,  Pa.  Laying,  from  two-thirds  to  one-half  the  time  on 
wood  shingles.  No  paint  required.  Hip  and  ridge  rolls,  lOc 
per  ft.  Starter  course,  7c  If  extra. 

ASPHALT  SHINGLES,  $5.50  per  square  fob,   Chicago. 
OCTAGON  ASBESTOS  SHINGLES,  $12. 
FIRE   DOORS: — Ordinary   flooring   doors   covered   with   tin, 
18c  per  sq  ft,  2-ply;  27c,  3-ply  without  tin  on  both  sides:  with 
tin,  38c  for  2-ply;   and  47c  for  3-ply.     This  does  not  include 
hanging.    Allow  $3  for  hardware,  $3  for  labor  on  an  ordinary 
size,  and  $1.50  for  paint.    Add  wood  jamb,  $3,  if  any. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

CEMENT  STONE. 

Under  various  names  this  artificial  stone  is  becoming  very 
popular.  There  are  some  thousands  of  plants  all  over  the 
country.  Most  of  the  stuff  is  hollow,  some  smooth,  some 
"  tooled,"  some  rock  faced. 

In  various  parts  of  Nebraska  this  really  fine  building  mate- 
rial is  sold  for  as  low  a  price  as  14c  per  cf,  and  laid  for  4  to 
5c  extra.  Stone  often  costs  ten  times  as  much. 

In  Kansas  City  the  material  is  laid  in  the  wall  complete  at 
32c  per  cf. 

As  an  average  for  various  states  an  Indiana  manufacturer 
quotes  12  to  20c  per  block,  not  laid.  A  block  contains  about 
1  cf. 

PRICES: — An  Omaha  price  for  door  sills,  8x15,  is  40c  per 
If;  window,  30c;  wall  coping,  25c  for  10x4|"  through  center; 
35c  for  14x4£;  blocks,  8x16x8,  15c.  Window  caps,  1  to  2$' 
proportion,  4^x12",  35c.  Set  in  wall  complete  the  blocks  are 
30c  for  a  two  story,  and  25c  for  a  one  story  building.  The 
face  of  the  blocks  is  made  of  1  to  2  or  so,  and  the  back,  1  to 
4,  cement  and  sand. 

A  Wisconsin  contractor  gives  me  the  following  prices:  "I 
manufacture  stone  9x32x10"  thick,  or  2  sq  ft,  for  9c  per  sq 
ft  of  wall.  I  pay  2c  each  block  for  delivery.  I  retail  blocks 
at  35c  each,  or  17£c  per  sq  ft.  I  put  up  wall  complete,  blocks, 
mortar,  labor,  and  finishing  joints  above  grade  for  25c  per 
sq  ft." 

FACE  WORK: — When  I  was  an  apprentice  I  was  once  nailing 
a  board  with  the  worst  side  out,  and  the  foreman  made  me 
change  it.  "  Always  put  the  best  side  to  London,"  he  said. 
The  cement  block  men  follow  this  excellent  rule.  By  keeping 
this  in  mind  the  following  table  and  instructions  from  one  of 
them  will  be  more  valuable;  for  a  margin  will  then  be  allowed 
that  is  probably  forgotten. 

129 


130 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


CONCRETE. BLOCK  TABLE. 

"  Giving  size  and  weight  of  blocks,  the  number  one  bbl 
of  cement  will  make,  the  number  to  one  cy  of  material,  and 
the  number  per  sq  of  100  superficial  ft. 


1 

& 

g 

•Q 
| 

£ 
I 

3 

SOLID  BLOCKS 

HOLLOW  BLOCKS 

cr<£ 
10  o1 

£§ 

JK 

Weight 
of  Block 

No,  per 
Bbl  of 
Cement 
at  1  to  5 

No.  per 

cy 

Weight 
of  Block 

No.  per 
Bbl  of 
Cement 
at  1  to  5 

No.  per 
cy 

8x  8x16 
8x10x16 
8x12x16 
4x8  x!6 
4x10x16 
4x12x16 
8x  4x16 
8x  8x24 
8x10x24 
8x12x24 
4x  8x24 
4x10x24 
4x12x24 
8x  4x24 

73 
92 
109 
35 
44 
53 
37 
112 
140 
166 
54 
67 
79 
55 

34 

27 
22 
68 
54 
44 
68 
22 
18 
15 
46 
36 
30 
44 

48 
38 
32 
99 
79 
66 
95 
31 
25 
21 
65 
52 
44 
63 

50 
67 
80 
24 
32 
39 

49 
37 
31 
100 
76 
63 

71 
53 
44 
144 
109 
91 

112 
112 
112 
224 
224 
224 
112 
75 
75 
75 
150 
150 
150 
75 

77 
92 
112 
37 
46 
55 

32 
25 
21 
66 
52 
44 

45 

38 
31 
94 
76 

63 

EXPLANATION:— To  find  the  number  of  blocks  for  a  build- 
ing, get  the  surf  ft  of  the  building  by  mult  the  length  around 
the  building  by  the  height  of  the  wall.  Add  to  this  the 
surf  of  gables,  then  deduct  the  surf  ft  of  all  the  openings. 
Thus  giving  the  actual  surf  to  cover. 

RULE: — Mult  the  number  of  sq  to  cover  by  the  number  in 
the  last  col  for  the  size  block  you  are  to  use,  which  will  give 
the  number  of  blocks  for  any  building. 


HOW  TO  FIGURE  THE  COST  OF  BLOCKS 

One  bbl  contains  3f  cf. 

One  cy  contains  7i  bbls. 

One  yd  of  sand  and  3|  bbls  of  cement  equals  2  to  1  mix- 
ture. 

One  yd  of  sand  and  gravel  and  1£  bbls  of  cement  equals 
5  to  1  mixture. 


I  * 

CEMENT     STONE  "  131 

In  making  blocks,  we  recommend  a  mixture  for  the  facing 
of  1  part  cement,  2  parts  coarse,  sharp,  clean  sand,  and  the 
body  of  the  block  1  part  cement,  2  parts  sand,  and  3  parts 
gravel  or  broken  stone,  the  gravel  or  broken  stone  to  range 
in  size  from  i  to  f"  in  diam. 

For  manufacturing  100  blocks  8x8x16"  there  are  needed 
2.24  bbls  of  cement,  0.68  cy  of  sand,  and  1.06  cy  of  gravel  or 
broken  stone,  which  at  the  following  estimated  cost  of 
materials  will  amount  to — 

Example 

2.24  bbls  of  best  Port  cement  at  $2  per  bbl $4.48" 

0.68  cy  of  sand  at  $1  per  cy 68 

1.06  cy  of  gravel  or  broken  stone  at  $1.50  per  cy 1.59 

Cost  for  labor  for  100  blocks  1.75 

Incidentals  for  safe  margin  per  100  blocks 50 


Total  cost  for  100  blocks  8x8x16"  $9.00 

The  above  are  approximate  and  conservative  prices  for 
materials  and  labor.  These  may  vary,  however,  to  a  less  or 
higher  degree  governed  by  locality. 

The  cost  of  concrete  blocks  in  any  locality  will  be  found 
to  be  much  less  than  common  brick  and  are  a  better  and 
more  lasting  material." 

FACTORY  PLANT 

A  plant  built  in  Michigan  of  "  Ideal "  blocks  has  a  four 
story  factory,  warehouses,  dry  kilns,  power  house,  office, 
oil  house,  etc.  On  the  ground  floors  the  area  covered  is 
93,000  sq  ft.  In  all  183,000  blocks  were  used.  They  cost 
7c  each,  and,  with  masons  at  $3.50  per  day,  2c  to  lay.  This 
does  not  include  mortar.  Sand  and  gravel  7,  to  1  of  cement. 
Gravel  65c  per  cy,  cement  $1.60.  Each  ordinary  laborer  made 
300  blocks  in  a  ten  hour  day.  The  owners  estimated  a 
saving  of  one-third  in  cost  as  compared  with  brick  at  $6.50. 
Each  mason  laid  250  blocks  8x8x16"  on  a  plain  wall,  and  125 
on  pilasters;  aver  all  over,  175.  Each  block  8x8x16"  dis- 
placed 14  brick. 


132  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

QUANTITIES 

The  "  displacement  of  brick  "  is  usually  given  too  high.  An 
8"  block  corresponds  to  a  brick  wall  of  the  same  thickness. 
For  illustration,  allow  a  wall  100'xlO'xS".  Even  at  17  to  the 
cf  (See  Chap  V)  the  actual  number  required  is  11,400, 
mortar  joints,  waste,  etc,  all  being  attended  to.  Each  block 
with  joint,  one  side,  and  edge,  equals  8ixl6i  or  134  sq  inch. 
Without  waste  1,075  blocks  are  required,  and  each  block 
displaces  fewer  than  11  brick.  As  noted  under  "  Brickwork," 
a  cf  of  wall  does  not  contain  22£  brick,  but  from  16  to  17. 
A  plain  wall  like  this,  with  masons'  wages  62£c  per  hour, 
can  be  laid  up  for  $11  per  1,000,  wall  measure,  or  a  total 
cost  of  $165.  In  the  table  the  cost  of  blocks  is  given  at  9c; 
sand  and  stone  cost  more  here,  at  least,  than  in  the  table,  and 
lOc  is  the  best  figure  that  could  be  allowed,  without  profit  to 
dealer.  This  would  be  for  wall  listed,  $107.50  for  blocks, 
and,  at  a  62£c  basis  instead  of  40c  per  hour,  4c  for  labor 
would  be  $43.  The  mortar  for  brick  would  be  about  $20;  for 
blocks,  say,  $10,  a  total  of  $160.50,  and  this  with  brick  at  $7 
instead  of  $6.50.  The  cost  seems  to  be  about  the  same;  here 
in  Omaha  the  cement  stone  costs  more  than  brick.  A  block 
8x8x16"  costs  14  to  15c. 

FACE  WORK: — But  if  the  wall  were  faced  with  a  $20  pressed 
brick  the  difference  would  be  in  favor  of  the  cement  stone. 
About  $75  extra  would  be  required  for  labor,  making  the 
total  $310.  It  then  comes  to  be  a  question  of  looks  and  taste, 
unless  we  estimate  the  work  on  the  Omaha  basis  already 
given  of  30  and  25c  for  blocks  in  the  wall,  in  which  case  we 
have  $300  and  $250,  and  once  more  balance. 

COMPARATIVE  COSTS:— In  general  it  may  be  said  that 
the  cost  of  a  fair  pressed  brick  wall  and  a  rock  faced  block 
one  is  about  the  same.  A  common  brick  wall  is  cheaper 
than  a  common  block  one  in  most  parts  of  the  country. 

But  a  hundred  miles  from  a  brickyard  gives  the  blocks  the 
advantage  in  every  way.    A  supply  of  cheap  sand  and  gravel 
also  turns  the   scale.     In  some  localities,  especially  in  the 
country,  the  cement  block  is  clearly  ahead. 
(See  index.) 


CEMENT     STONE  133 

GRANITE  FACING:— A  great  deal  of  cement  block  and 
brick  work  is  now  faced  with  crushed  granite  sprinkled  in 
the  mold  before  the  mixture  is  pounded  in.  In  the  vicinity 
of  New  York  City  the  cost  of  the  raw  material  is  40  cents 
per  100  Ibs.  in  less  than  ton  lots;  less  than  car  lots  in  bags, 
$4.75  per  ton;  in  bulk,  $3.50  per  ton. 

The  cost  is  given  by  one  manufacturer  at  a  cent  per  square 
foot  extra  above  the  ordinary  block.  It  is  worth  much  more 
in  appearance. 

Cement  brick  cost  about  $10. 

FANCY  WORK 

Lawn  vases,  $18  to  $20  each. 

Porch  cols,  including  sq  base,  shaft,  and  cap  complete, 
$1  per  If. 

Spindles  or  balusters,  $1  each. 

POSTS: — Concrete  posts  9'  long,  reinforced  with  4.  V»  John- 
son bars,  65c  each  on  a  lot  of  1,000  made. 


CHAPTER  IX 

PLASTER 

(See  "  Structural  Steel "  for  cost  of  prong  studs.) 
Plaster  is  often  included  in  the  mason  work  and  is  there- 
fore considered  here,  although  the  joists  are  not  yet  in  place. 

MEASUREMENT: — The  ordinary  rules  do  not  deduct  open- 
ings unless  they  are  larger  than  the  standard  size;  attics  are 
measured  sq  without  deduction  for  slope  of  roof,  and  so 
forth.  But  by  following  this  method  it  is  as  with  brickwork 
— we  can  not  make  out  a  bill  of  material  from  original  figures 
with  any  degree  of  certainty,  for  the  openings  in  one  building 
may  be  only  half  of  what  they  are  in  another,  and  with  such 
variations  too  much  or  too  little  is  billed.  It  is  better  to 
change  the  method  and  charge  the  difference  in  the  price. 
Here,  then,  we  take  only  actual  surf.  But  contractors  and 
owners  have  to  be  careful  in  letting  work  by  the  yard.  In 
the  first  cottage  I  built  I  paid  for  my  attic  lesson. 

The  U.  S.  Gypsum  Co.,  Minneapolis,  distributes  free  a 
copyrighted  booklet  with  the  plaster  all  figured  out  for  walls 
and  ceilings  of  several  thousand  different  sized  rooms.  It  is 
printed  at  the  end  of  this  "  Estimator." 

DESCRIPTION: — What  is  known  as  two  coat  drawn  work  is 
a  first  coat  with  fibre  or  hair  applied  to  the  lath;  a  second, 
or  brown  coat,  is  then  put  on  top  of  the  first  without  leaving 
the  work  to  let  it  dry;  and  after  these  two  coats  are  dry 
the  finish  is  put  on  top,  making  really  three  coats.  On  brick 
or  tile  the  brown  coat  is  put  on  usually  without  scratch 
coat,  and  then  the  white,  or  sand  coat,  making  only  two 
coats. 

With  three  coat  dry  work,  each  coat  is  allowed  to  dry  be- 
fore the  next  is  put  on.  The  first  coat  is  usually  scratched 
so  as  to  leave  a  rough  surf  for  the  brown  coat. 

If  a  white  or  sand  finish  is  to  be  put  on,  metal  lath  must 
have  three  dry  coats,  for  the  first  coat  has  to  be  thin  in 
order  to  stick  and  form  a  surface;  then  comes  the  brown 
coat,  and  last  of  all  the  finish. 

134 


PLASTER  135 

BRICK: — The  cost  of  plastering  on  brick  is  usually  lower  than 
on  lath,  if  the  walls  are  reasonably  straight,  but  in  some 
cases  a  contractor  would  prefer  to  lath  crooked  walls  rather 
than  straighten  them  with  tons  of  mortar  put  on  at  62^c 
per  hour. 

COST  OF  100  SOLID  YDS  2-COAT  PLASTER.     NO  PROFIT 

1450  Lath,  48"  at  $4.70 $6.82 

Labor  on  Lath . 3.25 

Nails 30 

1050  Ibs  Hard  Wall  Plaster  and  White  Finish 3.68 

Sand,  2  yds 1.80 

Labor  on  Plaster 13.00 

$28.85 
COST  OF  100  YDS  OF  3-COAT  DRY  WORK 

1450  Lath,  48",  at  $4.70 $6.82 

Labor  on  Lath 3.25 

Nails 30 

1600  Ibs  Plaster  and  White  Finish 5.60 

Sand 2.00 

Labor 15.00 

$32.97 
COST  OF  100  YDS  ON   METAL  LATH 

105  yds  of  Lath  at  20c $21.00 

Labor  on  Lath. . » 5.00 

Staples 63 

2200  Ibs  Plaster  and  Finish 7.70 

Sand ! 3.00 

Labor 20.00 


$57.33 

These  are  cost  prices,  but  contractors  buy  cheaper  than 
the  lists  above,  and  handle  the  work  to  avoid  loss.  The 
cost,  including  profit,  as  shown  in  the  following  prices  current 
in  our  cities,  is  just  about  the  same  as  in  the  tables.  But 
after  allowing  fire  and  liability  insurance,  scaffolding,  tele- 
phone, water  and  some  other  little  incidentals  it  seems  a 
rather  close  margin,  even  if  heating  is  not  required.  Some- 
times the  innocent  sand  pile  suffers.  Competition,  under 
present  conditions,  is  the  death  of  profits. 


136  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

PRICES   AT   62ic   PER    HOUR,  WITH    PROFIT 

Per  Yd 

Two-Coat  Work  (white  finish)  on  Wood  Lath $0.32 

Three-Coat  Dry  (white  finish)  on  Wood  Lath 36 

Three-Coat  Dry  (white  finish)  on  Metal  Lath 62 

Keene's  Cemant  (white  finish)  on  Wood  Lath 35 

Keene's  Cement  (white  finish)  on  Metal  Lath 67 

For  Sand  Finish  add 03 

For  Work  on  Brick  or  Tile  deduct  from  Wood  Lath  Price  .06  to  .07 

Without  Finish  Coat  deduct 07 

For  Back  Plaster  on  Wood  Lath 24 

Sackett  Board,  brown  and  white  Coats 37  to  .40 

Pure  or  "  Neat "  Portland  Cement  Work,  Metal  Lath,  on 

Gables  (reasonable  quantities) 1 .50 

Neat  Portland  on  Plain  Walls,  Metal  Lath 1.00 

Blocking  to  Represent  Tile  in  Bath  Rooms 1 .50 

Keene's  Cement  Base,  10" 15 

Portland  Cement  Base,  10" 18 

Plain  Plaster  of  Paris  Molds  per  in  of  girt. 06 

Metal  Lath  on  Steel  Prong  Studs,  Plaster  If  thick  measured 

on  one  Side  Only  (No  Studs) 1.80 

For  Heating  allow 03 

Rough  Coat  Behind  Wainscot  on  Wood  Lath 15 

Compo-Board .41 

Above  prices  are  based  on  solid  work,  that  is,  openings 
deducted,  but  contractors'  profit  is  included. 
ACTUAL: — A  large  contract  was  finished  in  Omaha  in  1907 
for  56c  on  metal  lath,  with  lath  at  18c,  ^,nd  24c  on  brick  walls. 
KEENE'S  CEMENT: — The  cost  of  Keene's  cement  material 
is  more  than  twice  as  much  as  that  of  the  other  hard  plasters, 
but  less  of  it  is  used,  as  common  lime  is  merely  gaged  with 
the  cement. 

BACK  PLASTER  does  not  seem  to  be  so  much  used  as 
formerly.  It  is  worth  about  22  to  24c  per  yd.  The  lathers 
charge  double  price  for  lathing  in  between  studs.  Heavy 
rough  plastering  behind  wainscoting,  10  to  12c  per  yd,  on 
brick;  on  wood  lath,  14c. 

LATH:— Wood  lath  is  &xli".  From  1,450  to  1,500  lath  are 
sufficient  for  100  yds.  Some  buildings  require  more  than 
others,  as  angles,  brackets,  coves,  etc,  take  more  material; 
but  1,500  ought  to  cover  the  worst.  It  is  necessary  to  re- 
member now,  however,  that  a  new  lath  is  in  the  market. 


PLASTER  137 

It  is  only  32"  long  instead  of  the  standard  48".  An  order 
for  so  many  lath  might  bring  the  number,  but  not  enough  to 
cover  the  surf.  About  2,200  are  required.  Taken  on  a  48" 
basis  the  price  is  from  $1.75  to  $"2  less  per  1,000,  so  that  this 
kind  is  gradually  working  in,  although  it  costs  about  lie 
more  per  yd  for  labor  and  nails.  Wood  lath,  with  labor  and 
nails,  runs  to  about  12c  per  yd;  metal  lath  etc,  23  to  26c. 

Take  the  actual  No.  of  yds  for  metal  lath  and  add  4  to  1% 
if  there  are  many  angles.  There  is  little  waste  as  it  bends 
around  all  corners.  There  is  1  yd  to  a  sheet,  and  sometimes 
a  trifle  more.  Ex  metal  is  the  common  kind;  but  many 
plasterers  prefer  sheet  metal  as  it  takes  less  mortar.  Wire 
lath  is  also  used,  but  the  ex  metal  seems  to  be  gaining  the 
day. 

METAL  CORNERS,  5c  per  ft  delivered,  6c  put  on  wood,  7£c 
on  brick. 

NAILS  &  STAPLES:— Allow  9  to  10  Ibs  of  3d  fine  nails  for 
100  yds  of  wood  lath  at  16"  centers;  with  12",  from  12  to  13. 
Short  lath  require  an  extra  nail  for  each  joint.  Allow  9  Ibs 
of  £  staples  to  100  yds  of  metal  lath.  Somewhat  less  than 
this  was  sufficient  on  No.  9.  The  sheets  do  not  require  much 
fastening.  Staples  are  about  7c  per  Ib. 

LABOR: — The  48"  wood  lath  is  nailed  on  at  3Jc  per  yd,  but 
this  includes  the  openings  under  the  old  style  of  measure- 
ment. I  read  a  short  time  ago  that  the  Chicago  lathers  had 
set  a  day's  work  for  1  man  at  25  bundles,  but  each  man  has 
to  nail  on  the  1,250  lath  which  they  contain.  If  he  comes 
short  of  his  number  it  is  made  up  by  the  others  of  the  gang. 
With  about  $  allowed  for  openings  this  is  100  yds  in  a  day. 

Metal  lath  was  formerly  put  on  for  3£c,  but  now  lathers 
will  not  work  on  it  except  by  the  hour  at  50c.  The  cost  of 
6,800  yds  on  No.  9  was  4c  per  yd.  It  is  now,  in  1908,  about  5c. 
On  plain  work  a  man  ought  to  put  on  100  yds;  some  can  put 
on  150  to  200,  but  the  average  is  less.  With  many  angles, 
50  is  enough.  I  know  of  nearly  300  yds  which  cost  8c. 
Elliptical  work,  groins,  etc,  should  be  allowed  at  two  to  three 
times  the  price  of  plain  work.  The  figures  given  for  lath 
Include  scaffolding. 


138  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Lathing  on  prong  studs,  and  steel  studs  in  general,  costs 
more.  Sometimes  it  has  to  be  tied  to  the  studs  with  wire. 
Allow  8  to  lOc  for  lathing. 

SAND: — Ex  metal  lath  takes  a  good  deal  of  material,  cement 
plaster  as  well  as  sand.  No.  9  took  2.6  to  2.75  yds  to  the  100, 
but  this  included  openings.  But  1£  to  2  yds  are  usually 
cnough  for  a  building  with  wood  lath,  or  brick  walls  without 
lath.  If  wood  lath  are  used  all  through  If  yds  are  enough. 
On  No.  2  with  all  work  on  brick  or  flreproofing  2  yds  were 
required.  But  it  is  different  with  crooked  brick  walls  and 
ex  metal  lath.  One  allowance  by  weight  for  metal  lath  is 
4  tons. 

SAND  FINISH: — A  finer  sand  is  sometimes  used  for  sand 
finish.  On  some  government  work  a  ground  rock  is  specified. 
On  the  Omaha  post  office  the  cost  of  this  material  was  $7.50 
per  cy.  The  quantity  used  for  the  last  coat  was  about  1  yd 
to  150.  Ordinarily  a  clean  common  sand  is  run  through  a 
:No.  18  sieve. 

QUANTITIES 

CEMENT  PLASTER:— On  No.  2  with  6,600  yds  actual  surf 
the  quantities  were  as  follows:  600  sacks  of  hard  plaster; 
191  of  stucco;  and  110  bbls  of  lime.  The  walls  were  straight 
and  did  not  require  as  much  as  is  sometimes  used.  The 
work  was  2-coat  white  finish. 

The  quantity  of  stucco  is  unusually  large,  but  there  were 
2,500  If  of  fxlO"  base,  and  500  of  6"  chair  rail  plastered  on 
the  face  of  the  wall,  besides  small  cornices,  capital,  bases, 
etc. 

WHITE  FINISH:— For  plain  work  about  65  bbls  of  lime  and 
85  sacks  of  stucco  are  required  for  white  finish  on  6,600  yds. 
Some  kinds  of  cement  plaster  can  be  used  for  a  finish  coat, 
but  not  the  kind  specified  for  No.  2.  But  by  allowing  1  bbl 
of  lime  to  4  sacks  of  plaster  we  can  get  at  the  total  quantity 
which  would  have  been  necessary  if  cement  only  had  been 
used.  We  have  then,  600  sacks  of  cement  plaster,  90  of  stucco, 
and  65  bbls  of  lime,  or  equal  to  260  sacks  of  plaster,  a  total 
of  950  sacks  for  6,600  actual  yds,  or  7,000  with  openings.  This 
is  14.4  sacks  for  the  first,  and  13.6  for  the  second  measure- 


PLASTER  139 

'the  100  yds.  For  cement  plaster  alone  9  sacks  were 
used  on  the  6,600  basis,  and  8.6  on  the  7,000.  The  difference 
is  thus  seen  if  cement  is  to  be  used  for  all  work,  or  if 
required  for  first  coat  only. 

For  ordinary  finish  allow  1£  bushels  of  lime  to  100  Ibs  of 
plaster.  Lime  is  about  90c  per  bbl  in  bulk,  and  $1.25  in  bbls. 

On  about  525  actual  yds,  or  600  with  openings  included,  the 
quantities  were  15.4  and  13.3;  and  there  was  no  lime  used  for 
finishing  coat.  This  was  on  the  building  whose  roof  is  shown 
in  No.  11. 

BEHIND  WAINSCOT: — Care  must  be  taken  to  see  just  what 
surf  is  to  be  plastered.  Some  architects  specify  that  all  walls 
behind  wainscoting  shall  be  covered  with  a  heavy  coat  of 
rough  plaster.  On  certain  buildings  this  might  mean  £  of 
the  surf.  Both  for  price  and  quantities  it  is  necessary  to 
know;  and  it  is  best  to  be  sure  before  contract  is  signed. 

ON  METAL  LATH:— The  two  buildings  given  are  on  basis 
of  brick  or  wood  lath;  wire  or  metal  lath  requires  more.  I 
know  one  building  that  took  close  to  20  sacks,  but  it  was 
all  metal  lath,  and  nothing  was  used  except  cement  for  all 
coats.  At  least  18  ought  to  be  allowed  on  work  of  this  kind, 
and  that  is  often  too  close  a  figure,  especially  if  plasterers 
are  unacquainted  with  the  material.  Nowhere  do  good  trades- 
men work  so  clearly  for  their  wages  as  plasterers  on  metal 
lath.  A  new  hand  puts  half  the  material  on  the  floor;  with 
him  it  will  not  stick  to  the  wall  and  still  less  to  the  ceiling. 

ACTUAL: — On  No.  9  with  more  than  8,000  yds  of  3-coat  work 
on  metal  lath  18  sacks  was  the  average,  but  openings  are 
included.  Cement  only  was  used. 

CATALOG  DANGERS:— These  actual  results  from  large 
buildings  show  the  danger  of  estimating  work  from  manu- 
facturers' catalogs.  I  find  from  one  that  8  sacks  of  white  and 
10  of  dark  cement  are  sufficient  for  100  yds  of  2-coat  work. 
With  lime  and  stucco  for  a  finish  coat,  this  is  about  the  same 
rate  as  was  used  on  No.  2;  but  No.  11  without  lime  tells  an- 
other story.  Only  the  thinnest  kind  of  work  can  be  done  with 
that  quantity,  and  the  walls  have  to  be  straight.  It  is  not 
nearly  enough  for  metal  lath  which,  unlike  other  surfaces, 


140  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

requires  a  thin  first  coat  before  the  heavy  brown  coat  will 
stick.  This  accounts  to  some  extent  for  the  increase  in  the 
Quantity.  White  plaster  does  not  require  so  many  sacks  as 
it  takes  more  sand  than  dark. 

QUANTITIES   USED   BY  ONE   PLASTERER 

Two-coat  drawn  work  on  wood  lath,  10  to  10£  sacks* 

Three-coat  on  metal  lath,  20  to  24  sacks. 

Three-coat  on  wood  lath,  15  to  16  sacks. 

Brick,  3-coat,  14  to  15  sacks. 

In  above  the  white  finish  of  about  2  sacks  is  included. 

Dark  plaster,  wood  lath,  extra  allowance,  1  to  2  sacks. 

Dark  plaster,  metal  lath,  extra  allowance,  2  to  3  sacks. 

Openings  deducted. 
Above  quantities  are  for  100  yds. 

KEENE'S  CEMENT 

Keene's  cement,  as  already  stated,  is  a  lime  plaster  guaged 
with  cement.  On  Keene's  cement  there  is  practically  no  waste. 
When  the  ordinary  cement  plasters  get  the  initial  set,  the 
waste  can  not  be  remixed,  so  that  any  stuff  left  too  long  on  the 
board  or  in  the  box  is  lost.  With  Keene's,  remixing  can  be 
done. 

For  ordinary  plastering  Keene's  cement  and  lime  putty 
are  mixed  together  in  equal  parts  and  sanded.  Sand,  lath, 
nails,  labor,  etc,  being  about  the  same  for  all  systems  we  may 
allow  for  Keene's  per  100  yds. 

APPROXIMATE  COST 

At  St.  Louis   At  Your  City 

400  Ibs  Best  Bros.  Keene's  Cement  at  80c $3.20  

4  bushels  of  Lime  at  27c  per  bushel 1 .08  

2  bushels  Hair  tor  Scratch  Coat  at  20c 40  

Cost  per  100  sq  yds $4.68  

Often  more  lime,  putty,  and  less  of  the  cement,  is  used  for 
ordinary  work.  This  is  on  the  basis  of  wood  lath;  for  metal 
lath,  one-third  to  a  half  more  material  is  a  fair  allowance. 

But  for  finishing  coat  lime  should  not  be  mixed  with  the 
cement.  For  wainscoting,  a  larger  proportion  than  one-half 


PLASTER  141 

of  Keene's  is  mixed  with  the  lime  for  a  base  and  second  coat — 
two  to  one  is  about  right. 

APPROXIMATE    COVERING    CAPACITY    PER    100   SQ   YDS 
OF   BEST   BROS.   KEENE'S  CEMENT 

PLAIN   PLASTERING 

BASE  COAT  on  wood  lath,  terra-cotta,  or  brick.  About  400 
Ibs,  four  bushels  of  lime,  two  bushels  of  hair  for  scratch 
coat,  and  the  usual  quanity  of  sand  to  mate  a  good  mortar, 
provided  lath  keys  are  not  made  more  than  §",  and  brick  walls 
are  level. 

BASE   COAT  on  metal  lath.     About  550  Ibs,  five   and  one- 
half  bushels  of  lime,  two  bushels  of  hair  for  scratch  coat, 
and  enough  sand  to  make  a  good  rich  mortar. 
SMOOTH  FINISH:— About  300  Ibs. 

SMOOTH  SAND  FINISH:— About  200  Ibs,  and  half  as  much 
sand  in  bulk. 

FLOAT  FINISH: — About  100  Ibs,  and  twice  as  much  sand 
in  bulk. 

WAINSCOTING 

BASE  COAT  on  wood  lath,  terra-cotta,  or  brick.  About  600 
Ibs,  three  bushels  of  lime,  two  bushels  of  hair  for  scratch 
coat,  and  the  usual  quantity  of  sand  to  make  a  good  mortar, 
provided  lath  keys  are  not  more  than  f "  and  brick  walls  are 
level. 

SMOOTH  FINISH:— About  300  Ibs  of  pure  cement. 

One  cement  plaster  manufacturer  allows  as  follows  for 
100  yds: 

"Estimate  800  Ibs  of  plaster  for  browning  out  lath  work. 

"  100  Ibs  of  plaster  of  Paris,  mixed  with  lime  putty,  will 
furnish  '  hard  finish  '  for  the  same. 

"  For  sand  finish,  apply  the  finishing  coat  while  the  brown 
coat  is  green. 

"  For  hard  finish,  apply  after  brown  coat  is  dry." 

Compare  with  actual  quantities  used,  as  already  given. 

But  it  is  hard  to  give  exact  quantities  for  different  kinds 
of  plasters,  buildings,  and  work.  No  rule  can  be  found  for 


142  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

crooked  walls.  Reasonable  quantities  are  based  on  ther  theory 
that  walls  are  to  be  straight. 

KINDS  OF  PLASTER: — Sanded  plasters  are  never  used  here. 
Some  of  the  unsanded  are:  Flint,  Ivory,  Imperial;  O.  K., 
Laramie,  Baker,  Eureka,  Mineral  City,  and  KalTolTte.  The 
last  two  are  from  Fort  Dodge,  Iowa.  No.  2  is  plastered  with 
Kallolite.  The  B.  &  M.  headquarters  building,  Omaha,  with. 
O.  K.  from  Okarche,  Okla.  Baker  is  white;  O.  K.,  Eureka, 
Peerless,  Agatite  are  dark. 

WHITE  FINISH  PUTTY:— No.  2  took  If  bbls:  of  lime  to 
100  yds,  but  this  was  owing  to  the  amount  required  for  base, 
chair-rail,  etc.  No.  9  took  less  than  a  bbl.  Three  sacks  of 
stucco  were  used  to  100  yds  on  No.  2  on  account  of  base,  etc, 
while  100  yds  required  only  2  sacks  of  cement  plaster  on  No. 
9.  If  lime  is  used  allow  A  bbl  to  100  yds. 
PLASTER  OF  PARIS: — Plaster  of  Paris  is  sometimes  sub- 
stituted for  stucco  as  it  sets  slower.  On  common  work  1  to* 
1|  sacks  to  100;  on  good  work,  1*.  Both  p  of  p  and  stucco> 
are  mixed  with  the  lime  which  is  run  off  to  a  pure  white. 
HAIR: — Hard  plasters  are  supposed  to  be  mixed  with  enough, 
hair  to  make  the  mortar  stick;  but  metal  lath  sometimes 
requires  a  little  more  fibre  than  the  manufacturers'  allow- 
ance. At  most  allow  1  bushel  to  100  yds,  which  is  the  old 
allowance  for  lime  plaster,  although  there  are  those  who 
call  for  twice  as  much  lime. 

LIME   PLASTER 

It  is  hardly  worth  while  saying  anything  on  the  subject. 
Lime  plaster  is  scarcely  ever  used  now.  Lathing,  sand,  and 
various  finishes  are  same  as  for  cement.  For  2-coat  work 
allow  3  bbls  to  100  yds;  for  3-coat,  3|. 

LIME    PLASTER   QUANTITIES 

For  100  yds  of  old  style  plaster  on  wood  lath,  this  would 
be  the  allowance  for  3-coat  work: 

3$  bbls  lime, 

1£  to  2  yds  of  sand, 

2      bushels  hair, 
100     Ibs  plaster  of  Paris. 


PLASTER  143 

If  finish  is  not  wanted,  deduct  the  plaster  of  Paris  and  half 
a  bbl  of  lime.  See  under  "  Sand "  for  sand  finish. 

On  brick  walls,  for  2  coats  allow  only  3  bbls  lime,  if  they 
are  fairly  straight. 

PATCHING: — As  we  are  dealing  with  old  plaster,  we  might 
consider  patching.  Sometimes  the  easiest  way  to  patch  a 
ceiling  is  to  put  on  a  new  one. 

On  a  number  of  rooms  the  cost  of  removing  old  plaster 
ceilings,  furring,  nailing  on  metal  lath,  and  replastering  was 
about  $1  per  yd.  Leaving  the  old  plaster  on,  by  far  the  best 
way  if  it  can  be  done,  as  it  saves  labor,  dust,  and  handling, 
the  cost  was  75c.  Some  of  the  rooms  were  of  ordinary  size; 
some  100'  long. 

A  small  patch  might  cost  $1  to  $2  per  yd;  a  single  yard 
patch  might  cost  far  more,  as  time  is  taken  going  to  and 
from  the  work. 

PRICES: — Cement  plaster  runs  from  $7  to  $8  per  ton,  but 
sometimes  it  is  as  low  as  $5.  Laramie  fibered,  for  first  coat, 
$10;  unfibered,  $6.50.  ,  • 

Keene's  Cement,  $17  to  $18. 

There  are  usually  20  sacks  to  the  ton  of  cement  plaster. 

Metal  lath  from  16  to  22c  per  yd. 

Wood  lath,  48",  from  $4.50  to  $5.50  per  M. 

WATER: — The  Omaha  rate  is  15c  per  100  yds — by  meter  the 
cost  is  only  8  to  9c.  The  Chicago  rate  is  $1.50  per  1,000  yds. 

LABOR: — On   No.   2   the   labor  on   2-coat  work   ran  to   15c 

throughout,  but  14c  if  openings  are  included.  This  does  not 
include  base,  chair-rail,  cols,  and  the  rounding  of  window 
jambs.  Rounding  jambs  takes  from  f  of  an  hour  on  small 
square  windows  to  2  hours  on  high  segment  openings.  If 
white  coat,  they  have  to  be  run  with  a  mould;  if  sand 
finish,  they  can  be  rounded  with  a  trowel  at  a  cheaper  rate. 

On  the  metal  lath  of  No.  9  the  cost  ran  about  4,  7,  4c  or 
loc  in  all  for  the  3  coats,  but  wages  were  55c;  now  they  are 
62£c  here,  and  15%  more  is  required.  Some  say  that  20  to 
25c  is  right.  The  first  coat  is  thin,  the  second  takes  far  more 
material  and  labor,  and  the  last,  or  white  coat,  is  about  the 
same  as  the  first.  All  through  the  time  runs  about  9  hours  of 


144  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

plasterer  to  5  of  laborer,  but  this  depends  a  good  deal  upon 
the  character  of  the  work.  The  brown  coat  takes  more 
laborers  than  the  finish.  Sometimes  the  proportion  is  man 
to  man. 

Three  men  and  two  helpers  put  on  400  yds  of  2-coat  work, 
and  250  yds  of  finish. 

The  labor  on  2-coat  work  is  taken  as  low  as  12c,  but  not  in 
cities  where  wages  are  high. 

HEATING  AND  SCREENS: — If  work  is  done  in  winter  the 
question  of  heating  has  to  be  considered.  In  dwellings  it  is 
worth  3  to  4c  per  yd;  on  large  buildings  with  steam  heat,  2  to 
3c.  If  in  summer,  muslin  screens  may  have  to  be  put  on  all 
openings.  Muslin  is  worth  about  17c  a  yd. 
OLD  BRICK  WALL: — For  raking  out  the  joints  of  an  old 
brick  wall  before  plastering,  allow  15c  if  in  lime,  and  25c  per 
yd  if  in  cement.  With  compressed  air,  the  work  can  be  done 
for  one-half  as  much. 

These  rates  at  60c  per  hour  can  be  adjusted  to  suit  the 
wages  of  any  locality;  but  country  tradesmen  do  not  always 
cover  as  much  ground  as  city  ones,  especially  if  metal  lath 
is  used. 

WEIGHT:— A  partition  of  2x4  or  2x6,  plastered  both  sides, 
weighs  about  20  Ibs  to  the  sq  ft;  lath  and  plaster  alone  9  Ibs 
on  one  side. 

CORNICES  AND  ORNAMENTAL  WORK: — Almost  every 
house  I  worked  on  in  my  apprenticeship  had  at  least  1  room 
with  a  plaster  cornice  and  centerpiece;  houses  costing  $5,000 
had  them  in  every  room,  and  more  expensive  houses  had 
plaster  ornamentation  in  keeping  with  other  features.  It  was 
the  fashion,  and  in  architecture  as  well  as  clothes  that  settles 
everything.  The  fashion  is  reversed  in  the  west.  Few  houses 
have  cornices,  and  they  are  better  without  them,  although 
a  smai;  moulding  looks  well.  A  plasterer  might  write  a  book 
on  the  subject  of  cornices  alone;  for  our  purpose  a  few  lines 
will  do.  Allow  for  straight  cornices  of  6"  girt,  20c;  9,  30c; 
12,  35c  per  If;  16,  50c;  24,  75c.  Allow  the  price  of  3'  extra 
for  each  miter.  For  cast  stuff  such  as  egg  and  dart  moulding, 
30c.  For  circular  cornices  mult  by  4;  for  elliptical,  by  6. 


PLASTER  145 

Bases  and  capitals  of  cols  can  usually  be  bought  cast  if  there 
are  many  of  them,  or  the  plasterer  can  cast  them  himself. 
For  12"  cols  they  are  worth  about  $8  a  pair.  Pilaster  caps 
and  bases  are  about  the  same.  To  finish  a  12"  round  col  with 
base  and  cap  by  hand  allow  2  men  1*  days  for  all  work— plain 
and  ornamental. 

CENTERS: — For  plaster  center  flowers,  20"  diam,  $4;  30",  $7. 
But  with  certain  enrichments  these  prices  might  be  doubled. 
Material  for  ornamental  work  may  be  calculated  by  taking 
the  section  and  dividing  in  the  proper  proportion,  if  so  much 
accuracy  is  desired. 

BLACKBOARDS: — There  are  several  expensive  blackboard 
preparations,  but  a  good  cheap  blackboard  that  will  last  20 
yrs  if  well  kept  can  be  made  as  follows:  $  lime,  £  fine  white 
sand  from  crushed  stone  gauged  with  J  of  plaster  of  Paris  and 
sufficient  lamp  black  to  color.  Put  1  package  to  3  buckets 
of  finished  material.  Apply  the  same  as  white  coat.  Black- 
boards of  this  kind  are  worth  from  10  to  15c  per  yd  extra 
above  regular  price. 

STAFF: — Used  on  exposition  buildings.  This  material  is 
worth,  for  plain  work,  from  $2.50  to  $3  per  sq  yd. 

SACKETT  PLASTEH  BOARD  is  used  for  a  good  deal  of 
work.  It  is  made  in  sheets  32"x36",  and  is  nailed  directly  to 
the  studs  by  large  headed  li"xlO$"  wire  nails.  "  One  keg  of 
nails  to  8,000  sq  ft  of  board,"  says  the  catalog.  The  nails 
are  set  from  4  to  6"  apart.  Then  on  face  of  boards  a  J  or 
|  brown  coat  is  put  on,  and  the  regular  finish  on  top. 
The  board  is  retailed  from  11  to  l|c  per  sq  ft. 

COST  OF  100  YDS  OF  SACKETT  BOARD 

Board $14.00 

Nailing  on  Board 4.50 

Nails 50 

Plaster,  Brown  Coat  and  Finish 16.00 

$35.00 

But  the  ceiling  should  be  furred  at  12"  centers,  and  this 
increases  the  cost.     See  Index  for  price  of  furring. 


146  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

COMPO-BOARD 

This  is  another  substitute  for  plaster.  Ceilings  do  not 
require  to  be  furred  when  it  is  used.  It  runs  on  ceilings  or 
walls  without  any  end  joints.  All  boards  are  4'  wide  and  8, 
•9,  10,  11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17  and  18'  long. 

ESTIMATE   FOR  100  YDS 

Board. $34.20 

Labor  Nailing  on 4.00 

Nails 60 

$38.80 

Actual  cost,  39c  per  yd. 

The  raw  material,  Omaha,  is  $38  per  M  sq  ft. 

Unlike  Sackett  board  this  Compo  does  not  require  any 
plaster,  but  after  covering  joints  with  a  strip  of  cheese  cloth 
the  wall  paper  may  be  put  on. 

ELASTIC   PULP   PLASTER 

This  is  another  wall  covering.  It  is  made  in  Napoleon,  Ohio. 
The  cost  there  is  $7.50  per  ton.  The  manufacturer's  quanti- 
ties are  as  follows,  openings  presumably  included: 

"  On  wood  lath  Elastic  Pulp  Plaster  will  cover  from  160  to 
180  yds  per  ton.  On  brick,  terra-cotta,  or  concrete  wall,  from 
125  to  150  yds  per  ton.  On  metal  lath  from  140  to  160  yds 
per  ton.  Its  covering  capacity  depends  grfeatly  on  the  con- 
dition of  the  lath,  lathing,  walls,  and  especially  the  plasterers' 
economy." 

The  grounds  used  are  only  f,  which  leaves  the  rather  thin 
•  -coat  of  £".  A  skim  coat  may  be  put  on  as  usual,  but  is  not 
needed.  No  sand  is  used.  Sacks  of  paper  contain  80  Ibs. 

COST  OF  100  YDS  ON  WOOD  LATH 

1450  Lath  at  $5  per  M $7.25 

Labor  on  1450  Lath,  4c 4.00 

Nails .30 

1250  Ibs  Pulp  Plaster 4.70 

Labor  on  Plaster  (1  coat  Required) 10.00 

Actual  Cost,  without  Freight $26.25 


PLASTER  147 

ON   METAL  LATH,  100  YDS 

105  yds  Lath  at  20c $21.00 

9  Ibs  Staples 63 

Labor  on  Lath 5.00 

2500  Ibs  Pulp  Plaster 9.37 

Labor  on  Pulp  Plaster. 20.00 


Actual  Cost  Without  Freight $56.00 

WATERPROOFING 

Wall  and  floors  are  now  successfully  treated  with  several 
kinds  of  materials  to  prevent  leakage.  "ANTI-HYDRO "  is 
a  liquid  that  is  mixed  with  the  cement,  and  the  mixture  is 
plastered  on  in  the  usual  way.  The  inside  of  the  wall  is  pre- 
ferreJ  to  t:.e  outside,  as  any  break  can  be  repaired  in  the 
future.  One  gall  should  cover  100  sq  ft  of  £"  cement  plaster. 
The  price  is  $1.50  to  $2.00  per  gall.  It  must  be  extra  well 
troweled  on. 

After  the  walls  are  cleaned,  roughened  and  dampened,  put 
on  the  first  coat  of  pure  cement  mixed  with  1  Anti-Hydro 
to  10  water.  Then  comes  the  scratch  coat,  I"  to  |",  1  cement 
to  2  sand,  with  mixture  as  before.  Then  the  last  \"  coat,  1  to 
1  with  Anti  Hydro  as  on  other  coats. 

The  cost  per  yd  varies  under  changing  conditions.  When 
fighting  against  leaking  walls  and  floors  it  naturally  runs  high. 
Under  the  best  conditions,  with  3  coats,  the  actual  cost  will 
be  for  100  yds: 

Labor $20.00 

Anti-Hydro 18.00 

Cement 18.00 

Sand . .  3.00 


$59.00 

"  HYDROLITHIC  COATINGS  "  is  another  preparation  of  the 
same  nature  as  Anti-Hydro.  Four  sacks  of  110  Ibs  are  used  with 
8  gall  of  water  for  20  sq  ft,  $"  thick.  Both  of  these  prepara- 
tions are  warranted  to  resist  a  strong  force  of  water  when 
well  mixed,  and  carefully  troweled  on. 

Observe  that  Anti-Hydro  is  a  liquid  to  be  mixed  with  Port 
cement,  while  Hydrolithic  is  a  substance  to  be  mixed  with 
water. 


148  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

ARTIFICIAL  MARBLE: — The  cost  varies  so  much  according 
to  special  details  that  it  is  hard  to  give  a  unit  price.  Plain 
cols  run  about  $1  per  sq  ft,  with  about  500'.  In  larger  quanti- 
ties a  smaller  price  can  be  given.  Wainscoting,  about  70c 
per  sq  ft. 

OUTSIDE   PLASTER  WORK 

One  sometimes  sees  parts  of  a  house  covered  with  ex  metal 
lath,  plastered  with  cement,  which  is  occasionally  pebble- 
dashed.  This  work  is  worth  $1.25  to  $1.75  per  yd,  depending 
upon  quantity  and  style,  with  scaffold  already  in  place.  It 
is  usually  in  panels,  and  the  plasterer  does  not  get  a  chance 
of  covering  so  much  surf  as  on  a  plain  wall. 

If  complete,  plain,  half  timbered  house  is  plastered  outside 
with  Port  cement  on  ex  metal  lath  allow  85c  to  $1  per  yd. 
Both  north  and  south  the  old  style  is  coming  back,  with  ex 
metal  for  a  new  and  better  base. 

Profit  is  included  in  these  prices. 

COST: — A  detailed  estimate  shows  the  cost  better.  A  car- 
penter's scaffold  is  supposed  to  be  in  place. 

The  first  2  coats  are  of  the  usual  fibered  and  plain  cement 
plaster,  and  the  finish  coat  of  1  Port  cement  and  2  sand.  The 
brown  coat  is  better  gauged  with  Port. 

FOR   100  YDS   WOOD   LATH 

1450  Lath $7.25 

10  Ibs  Nails 35 

3  yds  Sand 3.75 

500  Ibs. Fibered  Plaster 2.50 

1100  Ibs  Common  Plaster 3.85 

2  bbls  Portland  Cement 4.00  , 

Labor  on  Lath 5.00 

Labor  on  Plaster.  .  25.00 


ACTUAL  COST $51.70 

All  through  No.  9  the  plaster  labor  on  wire  lath  took  4c 
for  lath  and  15c  for  plaster;  but  outside  work  is  more  difficult. 
Furring  is  not  included.  See  first  part  of  book  for  cost  at 
16"  centers  for  wood  lath. 


PLASTER  149 

FOR    METAL    LATH 

105  yds  at  20c $21.00 

18  Ibs  Staples 1.25 

3  yds  Sand 3.75 

600  Ibs  Fibered  Plaster 3.00 

1200  Ibs  Common  Plaster 4.20 

2  bbls  Portland  Cement 4.00 

Labor  on  Lath 8.00 

Labor  on  Plaster 30.00 


ACTUAL  COST $75.20 

Furring  is  not  allowed.  It  ought  to  be  nailed  on  at  not 
more  than  10"  centers,  and  staples  and  lathers'  labor  are  so 
figured. 

PORTLAND  CEMENT  ONLY 

But  some  architects  will  not  allow  the  use  of  anything  but 
Portland  cement.  For  such  work,  a  detailed  cost  would  be 
for  1  to  2. 

105  yds  Metal  Lath,  20c $21.00 

18  Ibs  Staples 1.25 

3  yds  Sand 3.75 

8  bbls  Portland  Cement  (with  fiber) 16.00 

Labor  on  Lath 8.00 

Labor  on  Plaster.  .  30.00 


$80.00 

The  price  of  cement  is  now  (1913)  about  $1.60,  and  from 
there  to  $2  is  the  aver,  although  $2.25  is  often  paid.  Sand 
may  be  bought  for  much  less  than  is  allowed.  Railroads,  for 
example,  sometimes  charge  it  out  at  15c  per  ton,  but  such 
varieties  in  price  can  easily  be  adjusted  to  suit  any  locality. 
ROUGH  COAT:— For  a  rough  J"  coat  of  1  to  2$  Port  cement, 
on  the  face  of  brick,  allow  23c  per  yd — lOc  material,  and  13c 
labor.  If  floated  allow  30c.  Material  for  100  yds,  3  bbls  of 
cement,  and  1J  yds  of  sand. 

For  a  f"  coat,  1  to  3,  as  on  the  sloping  sides  of  hard  earth 
cellars,  12c  material,  and  25c  labor,  floated.  Material  for  100 
yds,  4  bis,  and  2J  yds  of  sand. 

QUOINS: — Corners,   or   quoins,   20"xl2"xl"   with   12"   return, 
beveled  at  edges,  55c  each  for  labor,  and  7c  for  material. 
SPECIAL  WORK: — For  narrow  plain  work  with  many  cor- 
ners iri  Port,  allow  from  $3  to  $4  per  yd. 


CHAPTER  X 

CARPENTER  AND  JOINER  WORK 
SECTION  ONE 

LABOR 

DIMENSION  LUMBER:— I  have  sometimes  asked  contrac- 
tors what  system  they  followed  when  estimating  the  labor 
on  dimension  lumber,  and  their  reply  has  been  in  line  with 
my  own  experience:  "Take  off  every  piece  of  lumber  and 
figure  the  labor  at  so  much  per  1,000'  bm."  It  is  a  very  simple 
rule,  and  most  contractors  abide  by  it,  except  that  they  may 
sometimes  take  work  by  the  sq  on  a  safe  basis.  The  differ 
ehce  between  this  rule  and  10  different  rules  for  lumber  in 
as  many  positions  is  that  the  memory  can  easily  carry  1  while 
it  gets  10  mixed,  and  is  sure  of  none. 

LABOR: — The  amounts  are  always  given  in  bm  or  sq  for  2 
men  in  an  8  hour  day. 

SQ  AND  BM  SYSTEMS: — It  ought  to  be  safe  enough  to  esti- 
mate any  ordinary  frame  or  brick  building  by  the  sq,  for  the 
profit  should  be  large  enough  to  cover  slight  omissions  or 
changes  in  the  price  of  material,  but  the  percentage  must 
be  put  so  low  that  every  stick  has  to  be  priced.  It  is  a 
ridiculous  system,  in  a  way,  to  take  off  a  lumber  bill  of  a 
roof  on  a  frame  house,  for  example,  as  it  is  a  kind  of  slavery, 
but  the  margin  is  so  small  that  it  is  usually  done.  To  follow 
another  system,  and  imagine  all  joists,  studs,  rafters,  etc, 
spread  out  to  1"  thick,  and  reduce  or  increase  in  proportion  to 
width,  is  but  the  old  sq  system  after  all. 

Suppose  a  room  20'x40'  with  joists  2"xlO"  set  16  o  c.  Each 
joist  spread  out  equals  I"x20".  The  room  has  800  sq  ft.  As 
16",  then,  is  to  20,  so  is  800  to  1,000,  the  number  of  ft  bm 
required.  Allowing  for  double  joists,  etc,  a  fair  idea  can  be 
had.  But  22'  joists  would  usually  be  necessary,  and  this 
would  give  1,100. 

So  with  partition  studs,  walls,  roofs,  etc.  A  wall  20'x40', 
with  2"x4",  set  16",  would  give  1x8,  or  exactly  half  the  area 

150 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  151 

in  bm.  One  to  the  foot  is  allowed  in  this  book  further  on  for 
doubling,  waste,  etc,  and  this  would  come  to  f  of  the  area, 
in  bm,  without  plates. 

The  system  has  the  advantage  of  keeping  material  and  labor 
separate,  which  is  best,,  but  otherwise,  if  squaring  is  to  be 
done  at  all,  it  is  best  to  finish  the  job  with  labor,  material 
and  nails  as  given  in  the  tables  of  the  "  Estimator,"  and  add: 
a  good  profit. 

But  for  cut-up  roofs  the  bm  system  is  a  good  one,  as  it 
saves  drudgery. 

It  takes  much  longer  to  cut  a  rafter  to  a  double  bevel  on 
2  ends  than  merely  to  lay  a  joist  on  a  wall,  or  nail  on  a 
sheeting  board;  a  tower  and  a  dormer  window  devour  time, 
and  a  plank  floor  goes  down  fast  enough  to  suit  even  a  con- 
tractor; but  while  as  a  matter  of  theory  each  class  of  work 
should  be  figured  separately,  as  a  practical  affair  the  whole 
bill  of  framing  lumber,  and  usually  sheeting  also,  is  averaged 
with  results  sufficiently  close  to  serve  for  9  buildings  out 
of  10. 

BM  OR  LF: — Take  the  lumber  by  the  1,000'  bm,  and  not  by 
the  If.  I  ran  across  an  estimate  book  which  put  all  dimension 
lumber  from  2x4  to  2x14  on  the  same  basis  of  so  many  If  in 
a  day.  The  writer  had  evidently  never  hoisted  or  laid  timbers 
of  the  various  sizes.  I  have  sometimes  heard  it  said  that 
a  2x6  can  be  handled  as  easily  as  a  2x4.  Upon  that  theory 
a  2x8  can  be  put  in  place  as  cheaply  as  a  2x6,  and  a  2x4  is- 
practically  equal  to  2x14.  It  will  not  work.  The  progression 
is  made  only  2"  at  a  time,  but  if  you  try  to  hoist  or  lay  a 
2x12  you  will  find  it  is  about  3  times  as  heavy  as  a  2x4.  On 
a  ground  floor  the  difference  is  not  observed  so  much  as  on 
one  40'  in  the  air;  but  the  whole  lumber  bill  is  estimated, 
and  there  is  only  one  fair  way  to  do  it. 

But  on  the  different  classes  of  buildings  how  shall  we 
determine  the  number  of  ft?  By  observation  and  experience. 
If  a  building  has  10  towers,  and  a  dozen  dormer  windows,  it 
does  not  require  a  sage  to  know  that  more  time  is  required 
than  if  there  is  only  a  plain  surf  to  cover. 
TIME  ON  No.  10: — On  some  buildings  I  kept  an  exact  account 
of  time;  on  most  I  did  not,  as  the  one  simply  repeated  th« 


152  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

story  of  the  other.  No.  10  was  kept.  It  is  a  block  of  6  flats 
in  Omaha.  The  first  story  is  frame  veneered  with  brick;  all 
the  rest  of  the  building  is  frame  covered  with  slate.  The 
rear  and  alley  walls  are  as  plain  as  possible;  floors,  flat  roof, 
and  partitions,  were  easily  handled;  but  the  time  taken  on 
the  towers  and  fronts  ran  into  money.  When  built,  9  hours 
was  a  standard  day,  and  the  aver  over  the  complete  building 
was  550'  bm  for  2  men.  Now  wages  are  higher  by  lOc  an 
hour,  and  the  time  is  reduced  to  8  hours,  so  that  the  advan- 
tage of  keeping  measure  instead  of  money  is  seen.  Such  a 
building  mijht  now  be  estimated  at  550'  for  8  hours.  With 
fewer  hours  a  man  can  work  harder,  and  with  45c  an  hour 
he  has  to.  As  with  bricklayers  so  with  carpenters — higher 
pay  has  to  gi^e  more  work.  But  if  600'  were  allowed  I  should 
want  to  be  on  the  building  myself,  and  the  figure  would 
have  to  be  set  subject  to  the  thermometer,  which  can  not 
safely  be  ignored.  With  a  plain  front,  750'  is  not  an  unreason- 
able figure.  An  illustration  of  such  a  building  with  the  aver- 
age quantity  given  is  worth  a  dozen  pages  of  writing. 

TIME  ON  No.  4: — On  No.  4  we  have  a  building  of  another 
class.  One  story  has  been  removed  since  it  was  built.  The 
3x12  joists  all  through  averaged  800'  for  9  hours.  They  were 
laid  on  walls  and  girders  with  little  framing  necessary.  The 
oak  posts  and  yp  bolted  girders  dressed  and  set  in  place  ran 
to  only  270'.  It  was  then  customary  to  do  such  work  by  car- 
penters, but  now,  since  their  wages  are  40c  to  45c,  common 
laborers  are  used,  so  that  1,000'  of  joists  alone  can  safely 
be  estimated  on  the  carpenter  wage  basis  for  an  8  hour  day, 
if  the  hoisting  arrangements  are  favorable. 

TRUSSES: — One  occasionally  has  to  estimate  trusses,  and 
it  is  not  always  easy  to  say  what  they  are  worth.  This  is 
the  "  10th  case  "  where  the  aver  of  the  framing  lumber  is  not 
reliable.  On  this  building  there  were  6  Howe  trusses,  6'  high 
with  a  60'  span.  The  timbers  were  10x12  for  the  lower  chord 
in  4  pieces;  8x12  f0r  the  top  chord  solid;  4x12,  3x10,  and  2x6, 
for  cross  braces.  The  chords  were  bolted  together  with  dbl 
rods  fron  1"  to  2"  in  diam.  The  story  was  18'  in  the  clear. 
Each  truss  contained  2,100'  bm,  and  took  342  hours  for  1 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  153 

man  to  make  and  set  in  place.  All  material  came  surfaced. 
No  2  trusses  are  alike,  but  this  will  serve  for  a  guess  at 
another.  At  40c  per  hour  that  is  close  to  $80  per  1,000'  bin. 

This  work  was  all  done  by  carpenters,  but  the  rules  of  the 
union  now  allow  laborers  to  do  the  heaviest  part  of  the  work, 
and  the  figure  may  be  reduced.  But  the  style  of  the  truss 
and  the  kind  of  wood  have  to  be  considered.  This  one  was 
of  the  hardest  yp,  and  the  braces  were  all  crossed  X  fashion, 
and  notched. 

In  "  Carpentry  and  Building,"  December,  1908,  A.  W.  Joslin, 
Boston,  gives  his  experience  with  trusses.  About  a  score  of 
types  are  illustrated  in  Kidder's  "  Architect's  and  Builder's 
Pocket  Book,"  Chapter  XXV,  1905  edition.  Carpenters' 
wages  44c;  Laborers'  30c  per  hour. 

For  light  trusses  the  amount  per  M  ft,  bm,  is  $18  to  $24  for 
trusses  from  Figure  1  to  21,  not  including  Figure  12. 

For  heavy  trusses  of  the  same  type,  $22  to  $25,  with  plenty 
of  rigging,  etc. 

These  figures  are  for  unsmoothed  work;  if  dressed,  cham- 
fered, and  all  marks  smoothed  off,  the  allowance  would  be 
$30  for  light,  to  $40  for  heavy  trusses. 

For  scissor  trusses,  Figures  32,  33,  36,  a  figure  of  $50  is 
quoted  per  M  ft,  bm. 

Actual  figures  are  given  for  four  trusses,  63'  span,  with 
9,000',  bm.  The  cost  was  $22  per  M.  The  hoisting  was  done 
piece  by  piece  with  a  steam  derrick — which  is  easier  than 
pulling  on  a  rope. 

These  Boston  figures  are  lower  than  could  be  used  if  the 
work  was  done  by  men  not  accustomed  to  it.  A  gang  of 
railroad  bridge  builders  handle  such  work  better  than 
carpenters. 

PHOTOS: — On  Nos.  4  and  10  the  owners  did  part  of  the  work 
and  managed  to  fall  behind  on  time  and  block  the  way. 
No.  4  was  built  in  winter  and  the  government  reports  were 
taken  as  to  the  quality  of  the  sunshine  and  so  forth,  so  that 
the  penalty  might  be  levied  if  the  work  was  not  completed 
on  time.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  sign  contracts  of  that  kind, 
but  one  has  to  eat.  A  photograph  was  at  once  taken  to  guard 
against  all  danger  of  pains,  penalties,  and  high  displeasure 


154  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

that  are  so  easily  laid  down  in  a  contract,  and  there  was  no 
more  trouble.  Sometimes  a  little  care  is  beneficial  in  other 
fields  than  estimating. 

ALL  LUMBER: — On  No.  9  the  framing,  sheeting,  shiplap, 
and  the  whole  bill  of  plain  lumber,  except  flooring,  cost  $8 
per  M  which  was  a  little  too  much.  It  is  only  800'  per  day 
of  8  hours.  Delays  accounted  for  some  of  it. 
SLEEPERS  AND  PLANK:— On  No.  7,  at  40c  per  hour,  the 
sleepers,  6x8  bedded  in  sand,  cost  $4.25  per  M.  The  3x6  floor 
on  top  cost  $3,  but  some  of  it  went  down  for  $2.75. 
PURLINS  AND  2"  FLOORING:— The  purlins  were  put  in 
place  for  $6,  and  they  had  to  be  hoisted  about  60';  but  some- 
times purlins  cost  40%  more.  On  No.  8,  150'x486',  the  2" 
flooring  on  roof  cost  about  $7  for  labor,  but  nailings  were 
about  6'  apart. 

FRAMING: — On  No.  3  the  girders  were  of  steel,  so  that  only 
joists  and  sheeting  have  to  be  considered.  On  basement  and 
1st  floor  there  were  22,350'  of  3x14x22  joists,  and  8,300'  of 
sheeting.  Taking  both  together,  2  men  put  1,100'  in  place 
in  9  hours. 

On  2d  and  3d  floors,  44,850'  of  joists  and  sheeting  ran  to 
1,100'  also,  but  this,  like  the  material  for  the  higher  stories* 
was  hoisted  by  a  steam  derrick  at  $2  per  M  extra. 

On  4th  and  5th  floors,  44,850'  went  down  at  the  rate  of  only 
800,  as  there  was  much  more  framing  to  do;  and  as  height 
makes  no  difference  with  a  derrick,  this  shows  that  even  on 
the  same  building  it  is  necessary  to  look  well  over  the  plans 
before  setting  an  average  figure. 

All  joists  came  sized,  and  there  is  no  bridging  allowed. 
DERRICKS: — To  rent  a  derrick  for  one's  own  use  for  car- 
pentry alone  is  apt  to  be  expensive.  With  engineer,  a  fair 
rate  is  about  $40  per  week.  Then  coal  has  to  be  bought,  say 
$15.  But  for  a  high  building,  it  is  the  only  proper  system, 
and  pays,  especially  when  the  cost  is  divided  with  mason. 
SIZING  JOISTS:— The  sizing  of  joists  is  included  in  all  the 
foregoing  buildings  except  the  last.  On  No.  9,  25,000'  were 
sized,  with  an  aver  of  3,176'  in  8  hours;  but  a  good  many 
joists  needed  to  be  done  on  1  side  only.  On  heavy  joists, 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  15* 

2$"  to  3$",  well  sized,  1,500  is  a  good  aver.  On  a  hot  day  It 
is  too  much.  In  some  cities  joists  are  sized  at  mill  on  both 
edges  for  $1.50  to  $2.50  per  M. 

WAREHOUSES: — A  good  deal  can  sometimes  be  said  in  a 
paragraph;  the  largest  buildings  do  not  need  so  much  space- 
as  a  cottage.  On  several  of  the  largest  Omaha  warehouses 
recently  built,  the  aver,  without  the  top,  finish  floor,  runs 
from  1,000  to  1,100'.  The  joists  are  merely  dropped  into 
stirrups,  and  they  can  be  placed  at  1,100  if  taken  alone.  The 
heavy  planking  soon  goes  down  if  it  has  not  to  be  hoisted  too- 
far.  But  posts,  girders,  and  joists,  taken  together,  without 
plank  floor,  run  from  800  to  900'.  On  one  building,  200,000' 
framing  cost  $8  per  M  at  40c. 

POSTS  themselves  run  from  $12  to  $15.  The  oak  posts  cm 
No.  4  dressed  and  chamfered,  cost  $22  per  M  bm. 
PLATFORMS: — From  figures  already  given,  it  may  be- 
thought that  the  heavy  platforms  around  such  buildin-s; 
should  go  down  at  1,400  to  1,500';  but  I  know  of  more  than. 
100,000'  which  averaged  only  700.  I  know  of  another  with, 
nearly  twice  that  amount  of  lumber  that  averaged  1,030'. 
This  is  after  allowing  enough  for  leveling  ground. 
STOREHOUSE:— On  a  plain  2  story  building  with  heavy 
timbers,  2"  flooring  roof,  plank  under  floors,  ordinary  upper 
floor,  the  complete  aver  on  244,000'  was  770'.  Upper  floors, 
are  included  and  reduce  the  aver  somewhat,  as  they  are  worth 
more  than  dimension  lumber.  A  good  deal  of  the  work  was 
done  by  laborers. 

TRESTLE:— Trestle  work  under  10'  high  should  not  run  to 
more  than  $10  per  1,000'.  Coal  hoisting  stations,  towers  of 
a  reasonable  height,  and  heavy  timber  work  in  general,  should 
not  cost  more  than  $14  at  30c  per  hour.  But  there  are  so- 
many  special  designs  of  this  kind  of  work  that  it  is  hard  to 
set  a  figure  without  seeing  the  plan,  and  sometimes  harder 
when  the  plan  is  seen,  and  a  guess  made  at  the  quality  of  the- 
man  behind  the  saw.  Bridge  falsework,  $16. 
GRAIN  ELEVATORS:— On  2  large  ones  the  timbers  and 
heavy  framing  amounted  to  nearly  1,875,000'  bm;  the  cribbing, 
of  2x6  to  2x12,  to  more  than  4,000,000'  bm. 


156  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LABOR: — For  the  timbers,  allow  $13  per  M;  and  the  cribbing, 
$6,  on  a  35c  basis.  There  is  a  good  deal  of  hoisting  required. 

MATERIAL: — There  is  no  trouble  taking  off  material,  as  all 
work  is  plain.  So  with  concrete,  excavation,  piling,  corru- 
gated iron,  plain  windows,  and  roofing  on  elevators. 

SHEETING: — Sheeting  may  be  averaged  at  1,000'  on  a  frame 
building  if  taken  alone,  although  1,200  may  be  done  on  some. 
Shiplap  about  £  less.  Much  depends  upon  the  style  of  the 
walls  and  roof. 

If  sheeting  and  shiplap  are  nailed  diagonally  instead  of  level 
on  side  walls,  allow  $  more  time. 

For  floors,  sheeting  may  be  safely  allowed  at  1,500  to  1,800', 
unless  more  than  3  stories  above  the  street  level.  On  the 
roof  of  a  6  story  building  1,000'  is  a  good  day's  work. 
FENCE: — I  lately  received  the  time  on  1,750  If  of  close  board 
fence,  8'  high,  strung  with  barbed  wire  for  a  top  guard  in 
the  usual  way.  It  took  420  hours,  but  posts  were  already  set. 
Allow  15  minutes  for  1  man  to  dig  hole  and  set  each  post; 
but  twice  as  long  might  be  taken.  Common  8"  post  holes, 
5  to  10  minutes  to  dig,  and  half  as  long  to  set. 

The  foregoing  buildings  may  be  taken  as  typical,  and  esti- 
mates securely  based  upon  the  figures  given.  A  small  cottage 
will  not  require  as  much  time  in  proportion  as  No.  10;  and 
some  large  frame  houses  will  not  aver  550'  as  that  did.  An 
allowance  must  be  made  for  a  plainer  or  more  ornate  style. 
The  figures  can  not  be  far  astray  at  worst  if  the  men  work, 
for  550  is  the  aver  of  a  large  building,  and  not  a  matter  of 
theory. 

So  with  the  other  buildings.  Joists  and  sheeting  cost 
practically  the  same  on  schools,  flats,  and  all  kinds  of  brick 
buildings.  If  extra  framing  is  required,  an  allowance  must 
be  made. 

LAW  OF  AVERAGES:— With  plain  joists] studs, and  sheeting, 
it  is  as  with  brick  in  a  basement  wall,  so  much  is  done  in  a 
day  with  reasonable  mechanics  that  one  begins  to  blush  over 
the  prospective  profits,  but  by  the  time  the  chimneys  are 
capped,  the  saddles  put  in  place,  and  the  corners  attended 
to,  it  is  quite  another  story.  Do  not  base  any  estimates  on 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  157 

this  kind  of  work,  but  take  an  aver  all  through.  No.  11,  for 
example,  came  to  only  350'  for  2  men  in  8  hours,  but  few  roofs 
are  so  complicated.  This  includes  both  rafters  and  shiplap. 
STATION  LABOirt: — The  complete  cost  of  carpenter  labor 
on  a  passenger  station,  similar  to  No.  11,  was  $1,100.  About 
24x140',  slate  roof,  hardwood  finish,  and  maple  floors.  Wages, 
35c.  It  is  too  much  for  such  a  building. 

AVERAGES: — As  a  fair  summary,  allow  as  follows  on  an  8 
hour  basis,  but  it  is  well  to  keep  in  mind  slow  saws  and 
modern  instances  already  given. 

On  Average  Frame  Houses 600  ft 

On  Wood  Stores  and  Flats,  Plain 1,000  ft 

On  Brick  Stores  and  Flats 800  ft 

On  3-  or  4-Story  Business  Buildings...  .900  to  1,000  ft 
On  Heavy  Warehouses,  Mill  Construction 1,100  ft 

BRIDGING: — If  taken  separately,  a  close  enough  price  may 
be  found  in  Part  One.  If  lumber  is  put  in  the  regular  bill, 
allow  for  labor  125  If  of  2x4  nailed  in  place,  and  170  of  1x3, 
1x4,  or  2x2,  for  a  day's  work.  In  the  first  case,  that  is  about 
250'  bm.  Of  course  joists  at  12"  centers  require  more  cutting 
and  nailing  than  at  20".  It  is  often  cheaper  to  buy  bridging 
already  cut  from  the  mills. 

CORNICE: — For  a  very  plain  cornice  of  5  members  I  have 
always  used  60'  for  a  9  hour  day.  This  does  not  include 
lookouts  or  anything  properly  belonging  to  framing  lumber. 
A  cottage  of  6  to  8  rooms  has  about  150  If.  This  gives  2 
men  2.5  days  to  finish  it.  At  40c  an  hour,  and  an  8  hour  day, 
that  is  less  than  lie  per  If.  There  is  no  time  for  play.  Extra 
members  may  be  averaged  at  2c. 

For  wide  ornamental  cornices  it  is  hard  to  set  a  basis,  as 
no  2  are  alike.  With  brackets,  capitals,  dormers,  miters,  etc, 
an  estimate  must  be  made  in  detail.  If  the  soffit  is  ceiled, 
the  ceiling  may  be  taken  at  1  sq  for  2  men  on  plain  work, 
and  that  part  eliminated.  A  miter  may  be  taken  at  2  hours 
for  1  man.  Some  brackets  can  be  nailed  on  in  10  minutes  ; 
others,  with  mouldings  carried  around  them,  may  take  from 
5  to  10  times  as  long.  Scaffold  is  not  put  in,  as  the  one  in 
place  serves.  If  all  joints  have  to  be  laid  in  white  lead  and 


158  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

•oil,  allow  a  little  extra  time.  For  a  good  cornice,  30'  in  a 
day  is  enough. 

PURRING:— 1x2,  16"  centers,  4  to  5  sq,  making  plugs 
Included.  Openings  are  not  deducted  unless  many  and  large. 
For  2x2,  16",  3$  to  4  sq;  1x2  on  ceilings,  16",  15  sq;  2x2  on 
ceilings,  12",  12  sq.  No.  9  was  furred  with  2x4.  Put  in  at 
regular  framing  time,  as  it  is  easier  to  set  than  a  partition. 
The  amount  given  for  2x2  on  ceilings  is  from  the  actual 
results  all  over  No.  12.  For  different  spacing,  allow  in  pro- 
portion on  the  basis  given. 

There  is  a  patented  "  plug "  now  on  the  market.  It  is 
built  in  the  joint  of  the  brick,  and  the  strip  nailed  in  without 
any  cutting.  Possibly  1  sq  more  a  day  ought  to  be  allowed 
when  it  is  used. 

SHINGLES: — I  had  seen  and  worked  among  slate,  tile,  lead 
and  thatch,  but  the  first  shingle  I  ever  handled  was  in  Ver- 
mont. It  seemed  a  curious  thing  to  put  on  a  roof,  and  I  felt 
sure  that  it  would  not  hold  water.  It  must  have  been  about 
3'  long.  The  farmer  cut  his  own  timber,  the  carpenter 
squared  it,  pinned  it,  built  a  huge  barn,  and  covered  the 
roof  with  the  strange,  new  wooden  slate.  We  do  not  use  that 
kind  in  the  west;  ours  are  16"  long,  and  sawed. 

When  starting  out  as  a  contractor  I  kept  a  book,  and 
•entered  the  time  on  different  classes  of  work.  Under  shingles 
is  found:  "On  plain  roofs,  from  4  to  6  sq;  on  fancy  roofs, 
from  3$  to  4;  on  plain  side  walls,  about  3."  This  allowance 
can  not  be  much  improved.  Then  the  standard  day  was  9 
hours;  now  it  is  8,  but  we  do  more  in  an  hour.  (For  number 
of  shingles  to  sq,  see  Section  Two.) 

On  a  plain  roof,  a  couple  of  good  carpenters  may  put  on 
8  to  10  sq,  but  we  stand  by  an  aver  day's  carpenter  work — 
not  butcher  work — as  well  as  by  an  aver  exposure  of  4$"  to 
the  weather.  It  naturally  takes  more  time  to  lay  shingles 
at  4"  than  at  5".  They  should  never  be  laid  at  more  than  5". 
On  some  kinds  of  walls  and  roofs  2  sq  make  a  day's  work. 
The  cutting  around  valleys,  chimneys,  dormers,  bay  windows, 
etc,  takes  a  good  deal  of  time.  (See  Chapter  on  "Painting" 
for  dipping  of  shingles.) 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  159 

GUTTERS: — Allow  100  If  for  aver  standing  gutters,  with  all 
finish  got  out  at  mill.  With  many  hips  and  valleys,  this  figure 
is  too  high, — 75  is  enough.  For  wide  cornice  gutters,  60  If 
may  be  used  as  a  basis,  and  the  dimension  lumber  allowed  in 
the  regular  bill. 

Water-Table  and  Base 160  If 

Bands  and  Belts 200  If 

Double  Corner-Boards 150  If 

SIDING: — On  plain  6"  work,  5  sq  is  the  law  for  2  men.  On 
some  buildings,  with  long  blank  walls,  8  may  be  done.  On 
some  particular  corners,  again,  2  is  a  big  day's  work.  A  fair 
aver  is  4  sq.  Possibly  6  may  be  done;  possibly  only  3 — not 
more  than  3  if  mitered. 

On  narrow  siding,  mitered  at  corners,  allow  as  a  basis  2 
sq,  and  go  up  or  down  according  to  the  angles,  dormers,  sides, 
pilasters,  hoods,  gargoyles,  pediments,  or  walls,  as  plain  as 
a  prairie.  Unmitered,  3  sq.  Scaffolding  and  tar  paper  are 
included;  openings  are"  not  counted,  but  exact  surf  taken. 
FLOORS: — The  usual  flooring  is  4"  which  finishes  a  trifle 
less  than  31.  On  a  4-story  block,  where  I  was  foreman,  I 
kept  the  time  on  floors.  Paper  was  laid  on  sheeting,  and 
yp  floor  on  top,  with  rough  joints  smoothed.  The  whole 
building  everaged  4  sq  for  9  hours,  hoisting  included.  The 
rooms  are  of  the  usual  office  size,  and  stores  are  on  the 
ground  floor. 

On  No.  3,  which  is  also  divided  into  offices,  the  aver  for  yp 
was  3i  sq  for  9  hours;  but  this  work  was  carefully  smoothed 
and  sandpapered.  It  was  done  by  the  piece,  and  the  men 
worked  hard  on  it.  They  offered  to  do  it  at  80c,  and  ended 
at  $1.25  a  sq.  Wages  were  then  30c.  There  is  a  wonderful 
difference  between  a  long  hall  and  a  score  of  small  offices. 
Once  more  we  may  take  time  to  consider  that  an  illustration 
of  this  kind  is  worth  a  dozen  pages  of  theorizing. 

On  joists,  without  an  under  floor,  allow  6  sq  of  4"  flooring. 
The  next  sentence  I  find  in  my  MS  is:  "  On  wp  allow  about  a 
sq  more."  It  might  about  as  well  be  left  out  here,  for  the 
ruinous  policy  of  the  forest  owners  has  at  last  practically 
cleared  the  northern  part  of  the  continent  of  what  is  by  far 
the  best  wood  for  outside  work  and  fine  interior  finish.  In 


160  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

New  York,  to-day,  (1913)  the  best  wp  is  $97  to  $114,  and 
select,  $80  to  $100,  wholesale. 

FLOORING  2": — Flooring,  2"  thick,  tongued  and  grooved, 
may  be  averaged  at  1,000'.  On  No.  4,  2  men  laid  5  sq  in  9 
hours,  or  nearly  1,200',  but  that  was  close  to  street  level. 
Still,  the  figure  is  not  unreasonable  if  conditions  are  favor- 
able. Is  the  thermometer  not  to  be  reckoned  with?  This 
flooring  is  usually  5i"  finished  width.  I  once  knew,  however, 
of  74,000'  which  averaged  only  700;  and  about  as  much  on 
another  building  which  ran  to  1,600,  but  this  was  for  mill 
construction,  with  joists  far  apart.  No.  8,  2"  roof,  900. 

SQ  EDGED  MAPLE  AND  YP: — On  warehouses,  5  sq  are 
enough,  if  hoisting  is  included,  as  it  is  in  all  figures  given  in 
this  section.  A  common  way  of  finishing  warehouse  floors 
now  is  with  |x4"  sq  edged  maple.  Allow  4  to  5  sq  unsmoothed. 
It  has  to  be  dbl  nailed,  and  takes  more  labor  than  yp.  The 
finished  size  is  3£".  Narrower  boards  take  more  time,  which 
is  about  equal  to  saying  that  2  and  2  are  more  than  2  and  1; 
but  some  of  the  hasty  put  2"  and  4"  on  the  same  basis.  But 
an  aver  of  6  sq  is  sometimes  reached  for  tongued  material, 
which  is  nailed  on  only  1  edge. 

And  now  for  the  proof:  On  a  6-story  building,  one  of  the 
largest  and  newest  warehouses  in  Omaha,  the  yp,  sq  edged 
floors  averaged  throughout  5  sq.  On  2  others,  also  new  and 
large, — 1  the  gallery  of  No.  7 — the  sq  edged  4"  maple  ran 
on  the  first  to  4£,  on  the  second  to  5J.  The  same  men  laid 
both,  but  they  had  experience  on  the  second. 

YP  FLOORS: — No.  9  is  an  interesting  building,  so  far  as  the 
floors  go,  for  it  can  be  compared  with  No.  3.  Both  floors 
were  smoothed  and  sandpapered,  but  this  one  was  cut  in 
between  the  base,  and  that  takes  a  good  deal  of  extra  time, 
as  both  ends  have  to  be  carefully  jointed.  While  aware  that 
some  of  the  best  eastern  business  buildings  and  residences 
are  so  finished,  1  do  not  like  the  style.  In  course  of  time 
the  joint  opens,  and  the  floor  is  in  a  worse  condition  than  if 
a  quarter  round  had  been  used,  although  that  is  not  by  any 
means  an  ideal  finish.  In  my.  apprenticeship,  we  tongued 
the  board  into  a  groove  in  the  floor.  The  knees  of  the  men 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  161 

were  reddened  before  the  floors  of  a  house  were  smoothed 
and  the  grooves  run.  Now,  machines  are  used. 
BENCH  SMOOTHING: — In  the  largest  rooms  of  No.  9,  on 
the  ground  floor,  where  there  was  no  hoisting,  3.2  sq  was  the 
amount  laid  and  smoothed.  In  large  rooms  the  jointing  is  a 
simple  matter,  but  not  in  small  ones.  In .  small  rooms  above, 
the  amount  was  2.3  sq,  and  the  general  aver  did  not  reach 
2.5.  On  the  first  8  sq,  the  aver  was  only  1.6  for  2  men  in  8 
hours.  They  were  first  class  mechanics,  and  they  worked 
hard.  Much  depends  upon  how  a  floor  is  finished.  On  most 
of  one  floor  the  experiment  was  tried  of  smoothing  the  boards 
before  they  were  laid,  and  then  merely  smoothing  the  joints, 
but  the  work  was  largely  thrown  away,  for  although  the 
flooring  was  good,  and  well  matched,  it  was  necessary  to 
smooth  nearly  the  whole  surf  again.  The  quantity  smoothed 
on  the  bench  was  1,000  in  a  day.  With  small  rooms,  cut  in 
between,  and  properly  smoothed,  2.25  is  a  large  enough  allow- 
ance, although  it  seems  a  low  one  for  2  men. 
MAPLE: — D  and  m  maple  is  harder  to  smooth  than  yp,  which 
was  used  on  No.  9.  If  unsmoothed,  allow  4  sq  of  2£  face.  Of 
course,  more  can  be  laid  if  on  a  warehouse,  as  it  is  all  straight 
work.  On  a  large  surf  3J  sq  were  recently  laid  and  smoothed; 
and  6,  without  smoothing,  on  upper  stories,  8  on  ground  level. 
In  houses  and  offices,  if  well  smoothed,  2  sq  are  a  good  day's 
work.  With  If  face,  1.5  sq  may  have  to  pass  if  the  smoothing 
is  well  done. 

I  once  helped  to  smooth  an  old  maple  floor,  18x9.0,  and  with 
hard  work  it  averaged  2  sq  for  2  men  in  9  hours. 
OAK: — In  a  dining  room,  with  angle  bay  window,  and  border 
all  around,  the  aver  in  9  hours  was  only  50',  or  half  a  sq,  but 
this  was  a  fine,  oak  parquet  floor.  It  was  glued  strip  by  strip, 
smoothed,  scraped,  and  sandpapered,  and  there  was  no  time 
wasted. 

In  another  finished  the  same  way  in  oak,  except  for  glue, 
If  face,  the  cost  was  $9  per  sq  at  40c  per  hour. 

On  still  another  house  $15  was  the  figure  for  oak  with  a 
border,  and  this  was  over  several  rooms. 

A  contractor  recently  told  me  that  on  a  fine  house,  where 
all  the  floors  were  of  hardwood,  his  aver  was  $12;   and  on 


162  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

some  floors,  $15.  He  watched  the  men  closely,  and  there 
was  no  time  lost.  The  larger  the  quantity,  the  higher  the 
price,  for  the  men  became  tired  out  with  smoothing.  The 
common  carpenter  touches  such  floors  only  to  spoil  them; 
they  require  the  best  tradesmen. 

MACHINE  SMOOTHING: — But  floors  are  smoothed  now  by 
machines  at  a  far  lower  cost  than  by  hand.  There  are  2  main 
classes  of  machines — motor  driven  sandpapering,  and  hand 
scraping  or  planing.  The  small  planing  machines  cost  about 
$50,  and  surface  "  from  6  to  10  sq  each,  per  day,  per  man." 
The  large  sandpapering  machines  have  done  35  sq  in  a  long 
hall.  They  are  run  by  a  motor  of  1£  to  4  h  p,  and  one  make 
costs,  without  motor,  about  $550.  Another  machine  costs, 
with  motor,  as  follows,  fob  Chicago: 

Type  "D"  li  H.P.  Direct  Current. .               .  $250.00 

Type  "  D  "  2    H.P.  Alternating  Current 275.00 

Type  "  B"  2    H.P.  Direct  Current 300.00 

Type  "  B  "  3    H.P.  Alternating  Current 325.00 

Edge  Roller 20.00 

The  edge  roller  runs  close  to  the  base.  The  motor  machines 
run  at  600  r  p  m.  Smoothing  Co.'s  charge  $2.25  to  $3.00  per 
sq. 

One  manufacturer  claims  that  his  machine  cleans  more 
than  15  to  20  men.  "  The  cost  of  sandpaper  and  electric 
power  is  from  $1  to  $2  per  day."  They  require,  of  course, 
electric  power,  and  thus  could  not  be  used  in  some  country 
districts,  or  in  many  parts  of  a  city. 

Still  another  is  fitted  up  with  a  small  gasoline  engine. 
The  operator  sits  on  top,  just  as  on  a  bicycle,  and  guides 
the  machine.  "  A  room,  16x16,  has  been  done  in  one  hour 
and  a  half."  The  cost  is  $200,  fob  Springfield,  111. 

THIN  FLOORS,  PARQUET  FLOORS:— There  is  a  thin  oak 
floor  that  many  are  now  using  to  make  the  old  house  look 
new.  At  first  sight  it  seems  to  be  much  easier  to  lay  than  the 
|,  but  the  difference  is  not  so  very  great  if  stuff  is  grooved. 
The  under  floor  should  be  carefully  smoothed  to  a  level  surf, 
and  there  is  more  nailinar  through  the  fact.  With  varnishing 
and  profit  included  with  carpenter  labor  these  floors  are 
worth  about  23c  per  sq  ft  in  this  latitude.  A  f "  floor  of  good 
design,  45c  in  place  and  oiled.  Thin  borders,  30c.  Borders 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  163 

may  run  to  $1.  Eastern  prices  on  ^  to  f  are  25  to  40c;  on 
£.  45  to  55c.  For  &  material,  10  to  15c;  for  |,  20  to  40c. 
Quarter  sawed  white  oak  is  used. 

A  f  "  carpet "  floor  might  be  laid  for  half  that  amount  in  a 
sq  room.  In  all  floors  the  expense  comes  with  angles  and 
borders.  Material  of  various  woods,  1"  to  1$  wide,  $28  to  $85 
per  M,  f"  being  counted  as  1",  and  |  as  1"  wide  before  dress- 
ing, 1$  as  2,  2  as  2*. 

Fine  floors  cost  money,  and  they  are  usually  spoiled  by 
being  laid  in  a  damp  building.  The  best  time  to  lay  them 
is  a  year  after  the  building  is  occupied.  The  impatient  owner 
can  not  wait  for  style  all  that  time  any  more  than  her  children 
can  wait  for  a  new  toy.  In  Europe  you  see  floors  generations 
old  looking  like  a  picture.  In  France  especially  the  public 
buildings  shine.  Why  spoil  a  lasting  picture  for  the  sake  of 
a  year? 

COST: — Hardwood  floors  will  never  be  cheaper  than  now. 
Since  1900  the  wholesale  price  of  hardwood  has  advanced 
from  25  to  65%.  The  cut  of  oak  has  fallen  off  36%.  The 
best  forests  of  Indiana  are  about  exhausted. 
THEORY: — One  eastern  authority  allows  $1  per  sq  for  labor 
on  the  best  hardwood  floors;  and  another,  as  an  extreme 
figure,  83c.  There  was  once  a  young  man  who  told  his  pro- 
fessor that  Solomon's  proverbs  were  far  behind  this  enlight- 
ened age,  and  that  anybody  could  now  make  them.  The  pro- 
fessor instead  of  reasoning  with  him  merely  said,  "  Make 
a  few." 

FLOORS,  6": — So  much  for  narrow  flooring.  Our  next  stock 
size  is  6",  or  5i  face. 

For  Pitched  Roof  Without  too  Many  Angles.  .3    to  4  sq 

For  Side  Walls  on  Level 3$  to  4  sq 

On  Bare  Joists 6    to  8  sq 

On  Top  of  Under  Floor 5    to  6  sq 

For  wp  allow  1  sq  more. 

Of  co-arse,  on  porch  floors,  the  figures  given  for  bare  joists 
may  have  to  be  cut  in  2. 

Much  depends  upon  the  matching  of  all  kinds  of  flooring. 
It  is  sometimes  so  bad  that  men  working  hard  do  only  J  of 


164  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

a  day's  work.  And  again,  how  high  has  it  to  be  hoisted?  The 
New  York  method  is  to  set  men  one  above  another  at  the 
window  of  each  story,  and  make  them  hoist  it  board  by  board, 
hand  over  hand,  for  20  stories  in  the  air.  It  naturally  costs 
more  on  the  20th  than  on  the  2d.  But  average  buildings 
seldom  run  above  6  stories. 

Some  estimate  floors  by  the  sq,  and  some  by  the  M.  More 
from  habit  than  from  any  merit  in  the  system — when  applied 
to  common  floors,  at  all  events — I  have  always  taken  the  sq 
as  the  unit.  The  usual  allowance  for  waste  and  milling  is 
about  |  extra  for  4"  flooring;  a  sq,  therefore,  means  125'  bm, 
and  thus,  8  times  the  price  of  a  sq  gives  tnat  of  a  1,000'.  As 
the  sq  system  is  almost  obligatory  on  fine  floors,  it  seems 
best  to  keep  it  for  common  as  well. 

PORCHES: — The  best  way  appears  to  be  to  put  framing 
lumber,  sheeting,  floors  and  ceilings  in  at  the  usual  rate,  and 
estimate  the  rest  in  a  body.  There  is  such  a  variation  in 
style  and  finish,  and  usually  such  a  short  time  given  to  make 
an  estimate,  that  this  is  the  easiest  way  out  of  the  labor.  Of 
course,  the  roof  framing  takes  longer,  but  that  does  not  count 
so  much  on  a  complete  bill. 

As  a  kind  of  basis,  a  porch,  6x22,  with  plain  sq  posts  and 
flooring  roof,  hand  grooved  to  run  off  water,  without  rail, 
with  aver  cornice,  took  2  men  5  days  of  9  hours  to  make  posts, 
joint  cornice  stuff  and  finish  complete,  the  floor  being  already 
laid.  Several  were  done  at  the  same  time. 

On  another  porch,  6x30,  of  far  better  style,  to  make  all 
stuff  6  paneled  posts,  cornice,  rail  above  roof,  ceiled  below, 
sheeted  above,  7  days. 

With  all  millwork  made  ready,  framing,  flooring,  etc, 
allowed  in  their  place,  5  days  extra  work  is  a  fair  estimate 
for  a  good  porch  without  shingles,  which  go  with  their  own 
kind.  But  again,  2  men  may  work  several  times  as  long. 
How  decide  without  a  plan? 

GROUNDS: — For  wainscoting  from  3£  to  4  SQ.  There  is 
usually  no  scaffolding  required,  but  they  have  to  be  straighter 
than  furring.  More  can  be  done  on  wood  partitions  and  on 
furring  than  on  brick — about  5  sq  altogether.  A  rough  way 
of  estimating  grounds  is  Ic  per  ft,  but  with  labor  at  40c,  that 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  165 

is  too  low.  On  wood,  2c;  on  brick,  2£  to  3c  is  a  fair  price. 
A  brick  opening,  1  side,  will  take  a  man  1  hour  if  he  has  to 
plug;  on  wood,  half  an  hour  is  enough. 

STORE  FRONTS: — For  fronts  about  the  standard  width  of 
21',  like  those  in  Nos.  5  and  6,  allow  5  days  to  finish  com- 
plete with  sash  below,  casings,  and  window  shelf  inside. 
With  everything  moving  h&rmoniously,  and  a  half  dozen  to 
do  at  a  time,  4  days  are  enough,  but  if  only  1  is  to  be  done, 
more  time  is  required  in  proportion.  Hardware,  transoms, 
swinging  sash  below,  etc,  are  all  to  be  considered.  These 
plain  fronts  may  be  used  as  a  standard.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pens that  a  specially  good  one  takes  twice  as  long;  and  there 
are  others  that  require  only  2  days. 

But  as  with  floors,  there  are  great  differences  in  fronts. 
It  is  possible  to  design  one  of  standard  width  that  would 
keep  2  men  busy  for  a  month.  On  such  fronts,  take  all  plain 
work  on  the  regular  basis,  and  estimate  the  rest  in  detail. 

WINDOWS: — The  time  is  given  for  1  man. 

To  put  aver  frames  together,  if  stuff  comes  in  the  knock- 
down, 1|  to  1$  hours.  Planing  mill  price  is  only  20  to  40c. 
An  ordinary  pine  window  in  a  frame  building,  setting  frame 
included,  5  hours.  Hardwood,  6  to  7,  If  paneled  below,  1 
extra.  In  brick  buildings  with  jamb  linings,  setting  frames 
included,  6  to  7.  Hardwood,  8  to  10.  If  circle  top  inside, 
1  hour  more  on  pine,  2  hours  on  hardwood. 

The  50  and  60  It  windows  in  No.  7  were  fitted  at  the  rate 
of  2  in  an  8  hour  day  for  1  man;  but  half  of  the  work  had 
to  be  done  on  a  high  scaffold.  This  is  a  little  less  than  an 
hour  to  each  sash.  The  glass  was  not  set,  and  the  work  was 
therefore  easier  than  if  it  had  been. 

On  more  than  100  windows,  30  It,  10x14 — like  the  fore- 
going— the  labor  ran  to  7  hours  each.  There  was  no  inside 
finish  except  a  quarter-round.  Labor  included  setting  frame, 
fitting  and  hanging  sash,  putting  on  stops  and  hardware. 

In  high  windows,  i  to  $  of  the  time  ought  to  be  added; 
some  require  twice  as  long.  For  a  fixed  transom,  1  hour 
extra;  if  hung,  £  to  f  of  an  hour  more.  Of  course  it  is  with 
windows  as  with  other  parts  of  a  building — a  detail  can  be 


166  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

drawn  that  will  put  twice  as  much  work  on  them  as  is  made 
to  serve  for  the  ordinary  structure. 

For  windows  hung  on  sash  balances,  allow  about  1  hour 
less.  One  seldom  sees  balances  in  modern  buildings. 

CEILINGS: — The  best  building  codes  now  forbid  wood  ceil- 
ings in  stores  and  such  places,  on  account  of  danger  from  fire, 
which  is  held  back  longer  by  metal,  or  plaster  on  ex  metal 
lath. 

For  plain  store  ceilings,  allow  3  sq  a  day  of  9  hours.  This 
figure  was  taken  from  work  done  on  F.everal  stores,  among 
others,  those  shown  in  Nos.  5  and  6.  k^uietimes  more  might 
be  done,  but  it  is  not  safe  to  put  an  estimate  up  to  the  limit. 
A  warehouse  with  a  long  stretch  is  easier  to  ceil  than  a 
store;  and  a  small  room  takes  more  time. 

As  to  paneled  ceilings  it  is  hard  to  set  a  figure.  Some  have 
plain  beams,  8"  wide,  and  others,  moulded  and  dbl  moulded  to 
a  stretch  of  3';  and  panels  may  be  only  1'  sq,  or  they  may 
be  6.  How  can  we  even  guess  without  a  plan  and  detail? 
And  now  that  we  are  finally  under  roof,  is  it  wp,  cypress,  or 
hardwood  finish?  The  plain  work  of  ceiling  need  not  be  hard 
to  estimate  from  the  base  of  3  sq  a  day,  for  if  it  is  cut  in 
between  beams,  an  allowance  can  be  made  for  extra  labor, 
which  is  likely  to  be  twice  as  much,  and  for  furring,  etc, 
outside  of  the  regular  joist  amount.  A  pine  beam,  a  ft  wide 
and  deep,  made  of  5  boards — 2  about  6"  wide  on  ceiling,  2 
at  12"  on  sides,  and  1  at  12"  on  soffit,  2  bed  moulds,  and  2 
moulds  at  lower  edges,  may  be  set  at  35c  per  If,  with  scaffold- 
ing included,  so  far  as  labor  on  it  is  concerned.  The  wall 
beam  needs  to  be  fitted,  and  may  be  counted  as  the  others. 

But  if  the  panels  are  small,  that  means  many  miters.  An 
extra  allowance  of  40c  per  miter,  or  $1.60  for  the  4,  ought 
to  do  this  plain  work.  If  of  hardwood,  add  5"0%  to  all  figures, 
none  of  which  includes  framework. 

From  this  figure  of  25c  per  If  we  may  go  to  $10  on  some 
houses.  If  we  go  from  wood  to  mosaic  we  have  the  price  set 
for  the  ceiling  of  the  U.  S.  mint  building,  at  Philadelphia, 
at  $15  per  sq  ft. 

Plain  lumber  in  pine  beams  larger  than  a  sq  ft  of  section 
may  be  allowed  for  labor  at  4c  per  sq  ft  bm;  and  mouldings 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  167 

at  l^c  per  sq  inch  of  section;  with  extra  allowance  for  miters. 
Hardwood,  50%  more. 

CEILING: — For  plain  ceiling  on  walls  allow  3£  sq  without 
furring.  If  of  hardwood,  2J. 

CORNICES: — For  cornices  and  overhangs,  1  to  1J  sq.  The 
wide  overhang  of  No.  11  was  done  at  the  rate  of  1  sq. 
WAINSCOTING:— On  No.  12,  in  8  schoolrooms,  through  all 
halls,  wardrobes,  etc,  two  men  in  a  9  hour  day  cut,  put  up 
and  finished  with  cap  and  quarter  round  3£  sq  of  yp,  ranging 
in  height  from  2'  6"  to  6'.  On  ordinary  dwellings  and  tene- 
ments allow  about  2*  sq.  All  material  was  prepared,  and 
furring  is  not  included.  If  smoothing  has  to  be  done,  allow 
6  hours  per  1,000'  for  2  men.  They  will  not  be  idle — but  that 
aver  was  kept  over  a  large  ceiling.  This  is  only  3  minutes  to 
a  16'  board,  3^  wide.  Under  "  Floors,"  we  have  seen  that  the 
time  on  1,000'  of  the  same  width  was  8  hours. 

For  plain  hardwood  allow  about  £  more  time;  if  there  are 
many  angles,  1*  sq  for  8  hours. 

PANELING: — For  paneled  work  about  4'  in  height,  with  cap 
and  base,  allow  501f ;  on  hardwood,  35.  Sometimes  plain  work 
of  this  kind  is  easier  nailed  up  than  tongued  and  grooved 
material,  but  generally  the  base  and  cap  are  of  richer  design. 
It  is  hard  to  give  a  figure  on  this  work,  as  there  is  a  great 
difference  between  a  plain  wall  30'  long,  and  another  broken 
into  6  to  8  pilasters,  each  with  4  miters  for  base  and  cap.  An 
internal  miter,  if  coped,  as  it  ought  to  be,  should  not  take 
more  than  1  hour  on  pine,  and  1£  on  hardwood;  an  external 
one  should  not  take  more  than  half  as  long;  but  much  de- 
pends upon  the  design,  and  more  upon  the  joiner. 

Furring  is  not  allowed;  doors  are  not  counted. 

BASE: — With  opportunity  enough,  I  never  happened  to  keep 
the  time  on  pine  or  hardwood  wainscoting;  but  I  watched 
base  through  2  buildings.  The  first  was  a  4-story  block,  with 
an  unusual  number  of  pilasters,  and  they  devoured  time,  as 
4  miters  in  a  3-membered  base  do.  Yet  all  through  2  men 
put  down  100  If  in  9  hours. 

On  No.  3  with  plain  rooms,  2  membered  base,  scribed  to 
floor,  170  If.    Second  floor  and  basement  had  oak  base,  which 


168  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

is  included  in  figure.  Main  floor  base  on  oak,  paneled 
wainscot  not  included.  Doors  were  not  included  in  either 
building. 

On  No.  9,  200  If  of  a  narrow  birch  base  were  laid,  but 
fitting  to  floor  was  not  necessary. 

For  plain,  quarter  round  base,  and  quarter  round  at  floor, 
200  to  250  If.  For  hardwod,  3-membered,  aver  number  of 
miters,  100  If;  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  some  of  our 
friends  from  Poduc\  Creek,  even  with  good  intentions  and 
an  earnest  heart,  are  practically  helpless  at  hardwood  work 
of  all  kinds.  Nowhere  are  cheap  carpenters  so  expensive  or 
so  exasperating.  The  old  style  Yankee  carpenter  was  trained 
to  the  tips  of  his  fingers;  his  successor  is  not,  and  manual 
training  schools,  excellent  as  they  are,  do  not  supply  the  want 
of  slow,  painstaking  teaching  and  practice. 
DOORS: — On  sliding  doors  allow  framing  in  regular  bill,  and 
2  days  extra  to  finish  complete  with  lining,  jambs,  casings, 
hardware,  etc.  This  will  serve  for  a  good  pine  door  well 
hung;  on  hardwood,  about  3  days.  I  have  known  nearly  4 
days  to  be  occupied  on  a  pair  of  heavy  hardwood  doors. 

As  the  number  of  hours  does  not  always  divide  prpoerly, 
the  time  on  the  following  doors  is  taken  for  1  man  instead 
of  2: 

For  a  pair  of  outside  doors,  about  6'x8',  door  frame,  casings, 
hardware,  complete,  10  hours;  if  hardwood,  14. 

Vestibule  doors  about  the  same.  Both  sides  have  to  be 
cased,  while  front  doors  have  only  1  side,  but  the  jambs,  and 
often  the  doors  are  heavier,  and  sometimes  a  little  more 
elaborate.  If  with  sidelights,  give  14  for  pine,  and  20  for 
hardwood;  if  transomed,  2  to  3  hours  extra.  Sometimes  a 
good  deal  of  trouble  is  caused  by  boring  for  flush  bolts. 

For  common  pine  doors  complete,  4  to  5  hours,  if  If;  5  to 
6,  for  If.  There  are  those  who  consume  a  day  to  a  door,  and 
think  they  do  well.  If  3  hinges  are  used,  a  little  more  time  is 
necessary.  Light  closet  doors  reduce  the  aver,  and  make 
up  for  the  heavy  ones.  Some  men  will  hang  and  put  locks 
on  12  doors  in  a  day;  I  have  often  cased  20  sides,  but  we  have 
to  deal  with  averages. 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  169 

For  hardwood,  7  to  10.  Of  course  a  casing  of  such  design 
might  be  made  as  to  give  several  hours  extra  work;  but  we 
are  not  writing  about  palaces,  city  halls,  or  court  houses  with 
high  doors  and  paneled  jambs.  I  could  take  any  hardwood 
opening  of  aver  size,  set  jambs,  case,  hang  and  finish  door  in 
10  hours,  including  transom.  It  is  a  reasonable  allowance- 
On  No.  9,  the  birch  doors  took  about  7  hours. 

For  aver  pine  swinging  doors,  5  hours.  There  is  no  hard- 
wood after  the  hinges  are  on. 

PANELED  JAMBS: — But  here  we  come  to  another  kind  of 
openings.  For  pine  doors  and  finish  of  wide,  paneled  jambs, 
and  transoms,  10  hours.  On  specially  high  doors,  15  to  16 
hours.  For  hardwood,  about  £  to  $  more.  The  hard  pine 
doors  with  paneled  jambs,  on  No.  12,  took  about  11  hours. 

For  an  opening  about  12x16,  double  swinging  doors  com- 
plete, 2  days  for  2  men.  They  are  sometimes  used  in 
churches,  etc. 

For  outside  double  doors,  about  12'xl8',  in  manufacturing 
buildings  like  No.  7,  1  day  for  4  men.  For  a  sliding  barn, 
door,  about  the  same  size,  with  iron  track,  1£  days  for  2  men. 

Special  doors  may  be  estimated  from  the  foregoing  figures, 
which  would  be  considered  very  liberal  by  a  New  York 
"  lumper."  While  living  in  New  York,  I  was  told  of  some  who 
steadily  fitted  36  doors,  and  left  the  hanging  of  them  to  some 
brother  in  misfortune.  On  cheap  buildings  they  certainly  do 
far  more  work  than  western  carpenters,  but  their  work  has 
2  drawbacks — it  is  worthless  in  quality,  requiring  repairing 
almost  from  the  time  it  is  finished;  and  it  is  making  white 
slaves.  A  good  carpenter  goes  to  lumping  only  as  the  last 
resort. 

Grounds  are  not  included  on  either  doors  or  windows. 

STAIRS: — Setting  only  is  allowed — not  millwork.  But  which 
style  shall  be  selected?  I  have  known  2  men  to  set  a  stair 
in  a  forenoon,  and  again,  work  on  another  for  about  2  weeks. 

On  No.  12,  with  regular  school  stair,  double  flight,  ceiling 
rail,  about  6'  wide,  3£  to  4  days  for  2  men. 

On  No.  2  it  took  233  hours  for  1  man  to  set  and  finish  3 
flights  of  oak  stairs  about  5'  wide,  with  continuous  rail. 


170  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

On  No.  9,  with  oak  stairs,  of  a  better  design,  it  took  300 
hours  for  1  man  to  set  3  flights.  Platforms  allowed  in  fram- 
ing lumber. 

For  a  long  box  stair,  without  landing,  1  to  1*  days  for  2 
men.  Box  stair  for  cellar  or  attic,  about  the  same  if  winders 
are  used.  For  a  plain  6  to  8  room  house,  2  to  3  days.  For 
a  fine  stair  to  a  house  of  8  to  10  rooms  6  days. 

Guess  the  rest;  and  remember  that  although  the  estimate 
may  not  be  mathematically  correct,  you  may  add  to  or  deduct 
from  a  reasonable  percentage  on  complete  bid  enough  to 
build  the  stair  complete.  While  admitting  that  an  estimate 
should  be  as  nearly  correct  as  possible,  why  insist  on  abso- 
lute accuracy  on  one  small  item,  and  then  make  a  wild  guess 
at  the  profit? 

Of  course  there  are  stairs  that  would  keep  2  men  working 
for  a  couple  of  months,  or  even  a  year.  The  Glasgow  people 
have  a  fine  stair  in  their  new  municipal  buildings — one  of  the 
best  I  have  ever  looked  upon.  But  the  best,  the  stair  that 
once  seen  is  never  forgotten,  is  the  "  Stairway  of  Honor " 
in  the  Grand  Opera  House,  Paris.  It  is  wide  enough  for 
teams  to  drive  up  abreast.  "  The  steps  are  of  white  marble, 
the  balustrades  of  alabaster,  the  hand  rail  of  African  onyx. 
24  colored  marble  columns  rise  to  the  height  of  the  3d  floor." 
And  so  on  they  describe  the  marvel  in  the  $7,000,000  Opera 
House — and  that  price  too  where  wages  are  low.  I  did  not 
even  try  to  estimate  the  time  required  to  build  it.  The  house 
itself  took  14  years — and  probably  will  last  for  centuries. 

The  ornamental  iron  stair  in  Wanamaker's  new  store  cost 
about  $36,000. 

SIDEBOARDS: — We  have  some  that  fill  the  end  of  a  large 
room,  and  others  not  so  great  in  size  or  style.  One  of  ash, 
I  remember,  8x8'  with  drawers,  doors,  brackets,  shelves, 
mirrors,  and  hardware  to  match:  2  men  took  8  days  to  com- 
plete it.  Another  of  oak  about  the  same  size  6  days.  The 
difference  was  a  matter  of  detail.  Millwork  for  both  came 
in  knockdown — and  here  it  may  be  worth  while  to  say  that 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  difference  in  the  way  millwork  comes. 
The  cheapest  mill  bid  on  stairs,  sideboards,  window  frames, 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  171 

drawer  cases,  etc,  may  mean  10%  more  work  when  the  stuff 
is  delivered. 

A  fairly  good  sideboard  may  be  set  in  4   days;    none  in 
Omaha,  I  judge,  would  require  more  than  10  to  12. 
CHINA  CLOSETS: — Allow  from  2  to  6  days  for  2  men. 
PANTRIES:— From  1  to  4  days. 

CHINA  CLOSETS: — A  china  closet  might  come  put  together, 
leaving  only  the  labor  of  pushing  it  into  place  and  nailing  a 
casing  around  the  opening,  all  of  which  might  be  comfortably 
done  in  a  day;  but  most  of  them  come  in  the  knockdown. 
There  is  a  difference  between  one  pantry  with  only  half 
a  dozen  plain  shelves  and  another  with  shelving  all  around, 
meal  bins,  drawers,  etc;  one  may  have  only  20  sq  ft  while  the 
other  has  3  or  4  times  as  many.  1  to  3  days  for  a  man. 
STOREROOMS:— Put  in  shelving  at  24  sq  ft  per  hour  for  2 
men.  On  No.  2  I  kept  time  on  3,000'  all  dadoed  by  hand 
into  compartments  about  18"  sq,  and  the  aver  was  higher 
than  this  which  seems  safe.  But  I  know  of  nearly  60,000' 
that  did  not  aver  16'  with  far  less  dadoing.  Pantries,  closets, 
etc,  may  be  figured  by  this  method  and  an  allowance  made  for 
extra  labor, — but  40  to  50'  seems  fair  as  there  is  no  dadoing. 
BLINDS: — Outside,  for  either  brick  or  frame  buildings  if 
fitted  before  frames  are  set,  20  pr  aver  size;  if  after  frames 
are  set  14.  Inside  4  to  5  sets  a  day  for  plain  work;  hard- 
wood, 3  sets. 

BORING: — Large  posts  for  warehouses,  etc,  are  often  bored 
from  end  to  end  with  an  1£"  auger.  One  millman  quotes  a 
price  of  6  to  7c  per  If;  on  a  large  building  the  work  cost  $2.50 
per  1,000'  bm  at  the  mill.  Sometimes  it  is  quoted  at  15c  per  If. 

SECTION  TWO 

MATERIAL. 

GIRDERS: — It  is  not  necessary  to  say  anything  about 
girders,  for  they  can  not  well  be  missed  unless  through  care- 
lessness. By  reference  to  the  chapter  on  "  Standard  Sizes " 
It  will  be  seen  that  all  dimension  lumber  must  be  ordered  of 
even  lengths;  although  a  girder  or  joist  is  billed  at  11',  12 
have  to  be  paid  for,  so  that  there  is  no  economy  in  putting 
down  odd  sizes.  But  it  sometimes  happens  that  2  odd  sizes 


172  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

are  required  of  such  lengths  as  may  be  taken  out  of  an  even 
size,  and  thus  2  If  are  saved.  An  18',  for  example,  will  make 
11  and  7. 

JOISTS: — It  is  of  some  importance  to  watch  the  spacing 
of  joists  and  the  ordering  of  lengths  of  flooring,  etc,  to  suit. 
Many  architects  space  to  a  partition,  put  in  the  dbl  joists  and 
then  space  from  them.  If  this  is  repeated  several  times 
there  is  apt  to  be  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with  lengths  of  sheet- 
ing, flooring,  ceiling,  lath,  etc,  for  the  joists  might  be  so 
placed  as  to  waste  the  even  lengths  of  lumber  clear  across 
the  room.  It  is  best  to  space  from  1  end  of  a  building  and 
stick  to  the  regular  spacing  unless  for  some  special  reason. 
Allow  extra  joists  for  doubling  where  they  are  required  on 
this  basis.  The  dbl  joist  may  come  so  near  the  regular  spac- 
ing that  a  little  variation  will  not  be  of  much  consequence. 

To  get  the  number  of  joists  required  count  them  and  add 
1  extra  for  main  rooms  and  doubles  wherever  necessary.  A 
carpenter  does  not  often  use  an  architect's  scale  for  taking 
off  quantities,  although  it  is  the  best  article  for  the  purpose. 
If  the  joists  are  set  1  to  the  ft,  and  the  plan  drawn  to  J  or  J, 
by  laying  on  the  scale  the  number  can  be  seen  at  once  with- 
out any  mental  calculation.  If  centers  are  14"  or  16"  a  slip 
of  paper  can  be  laid  off  from  the  scale  and  moved  from  room 
to  room  adding  the  extra  joist. 

Still  for  16"  centers  a  carpenter's  rule  is  as  good  as  a  scale, 
for  the  even  figures  multiplied  by  3,  and  1  added,  give  the 
number.  Suppose  a  room  is  32'  long  at  £  scale;  the  rule 
would  show  8,  which  multiplied  by  3  gives  24,  and  1  at  wall, 
25.  A  trifle  over  the  even  figure  means  an  extra  joist,  for  at 
16"  centers  20"  needs  2  just  as  much  as  32.  As  there  are  3 
to  the  inch  the  exact  number  can  easily  be  seen  although  the 
even  figure  is  not  on  the  line.  Each  room  divided  in  such 
shape  that  the  floor  stops,  as  at  a  brick  wall,  requires  an 
extra  joist.  An  extra  ceiling  joist  is  often  needed  where 
there  is  a  partition — sometimes  2  are  insisted  on;  but  there 
are  architects  who  are  satisfied  with  a  strip  to  hold  the  end 
of  the  lath. 

STUDS: — For  walls  and  partitions  allow  1  stud  to  the  ft  for 
16"  centers.  This  seems  too  much;  but  after  allowing  plates 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  173 

in  addition  I  have  sometimes  run  short.  A  2x4  can  be  used 
for  a  score  of  purposes  apart  altogether  from  partitions  and 
walls;  but  if  doors,  windows,  arches,  etc,  are  all  properly 
doubled  and  corners  made  solid  so  that  lath  can  not  pass 
through,  and  if  proper  base-blocks  are  nailed  in,  the  allow- 
ance is  not  too  much  unless  on  very  plain  work.  Of  course 
a  stable  or  shed  does  not  require  such  doubling.  The  nature 
of  the  building  must  be  considered.  When  ex  metal  lath 
is  used  doubling  is  not  necessary  as  it  bends  to  the  shape  of 
the  corner  and  when  plastered  becomes  as  hard  as  a  rock, 
but  base-block  are  still  needed. 

Much  depends  upon  the  times:  one  can  miss  a  few  pcs 
when  prices  are  high,  but  not  when  they  are  cut  to  the  bone. 
I  remember  accidentally  leaving  out  a  whole  floor  of  parti- 
tions in  a  block  of  3  flats — one  of  No.  6.  Had  the  stuff  gone 
in,  another  contractor  would  have  got  what  proved  to  be  a 
nice  little  prize  of  more  than  $2,000,  for  the  difference  in 
the  bids  was  only  $60.  This  experience  is  introduced  not  to 
encourage  such  omissions  on  the  chance  of  getting  rich,  but 
rather  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  several  buildings  or  floors 
on  the  same  plan  are  dangerous.  One  floor  is  estimated  and 
the  intention  is  to  n  ult  by  the  number,  but  we  switch  off  and  forget. 

See  bm  system  page  150. 

CREOSOTING: — From  $15  to  $20  per  m. 

BRIDGING: — Joists  are  almost  always  bridged,  and  studs  are 
occasionally.  If  bridging  is  taken  separately  a  close  enough 
price  may  be  found  in  Part  One.  The  lengths  may  be  found 
there  also.  As  a  rough  and  ready  way  out  of  this  small 
item  which,  however,  can  not  be  overlooked,  I  allow  3'  to 
every  If,  and  seldom  find  much  left.  Windows  have  to  be 
braced,  ladders  made,  and  other  matters  attended  to. 

See  Metal  Bridging. 

RAFTERS: — On  a  plain  roof  it  is  simply  a  matter  of  count- 
ing them  the  same  as  joists  and  adding  1  extra.  There  is 
more  trouble  on  a  roof  like  No.  11  with  angles,  hips,  valleys, 
and  dormers.  For  such  roofs  see  page  28,  where  cost  is  given 
at  $6,  or  follow  bm  system. 

It  is  of  some  importance  to  get  the  right  lengths  of  hips  and 
valleys.  They  are  better  billed  3'  too  long  than  6"  too  short, 


174  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

for  the  strength  of  a  roof  depends  upon  them.  Before  setting 
down  the  lengths  it  is  safer  to  lay  the  plan  of  the  rafter  on  a 
piece  of  paper  if  not  sure  of  the  ground.  If  there  is  a  plan 
of  the  roof  it  is  only  necessary  to  sq  up  from  the  line  of 
the  hip  or  valley,  set  off  the  same  height  as  the  common  rafter 
at  any  point  desired,  whether  at  the  ridge  or  below  it,  if  the 
hip  or  valley  does  not  extend  clear  through,  and  then  measure 
the  distance  between  the  2  points.  To  use  3  common  figures, 
well  known  to  carpenters  who  square  houses  by  them,  if  the 
line  of  the  h.  or  v.  on  the  plan  measures  8,  and  the  height 
or  rise  is  6,  then  the  h.  or  v.  is  10'  long.  This  is  the  secret 
of  taking  off  the  lengths  of  lumber  for  any  roof:  Get  the 
distance  in  from  the  wall-plate  and  the  rise  from  the  level,  and 
measure  the  length  between  the  2  points.  The  same  rule 
holds  for  jacks  and  cripples.  A  liberal  allowance  must  be 
made  for  complicated  roofs.  For  every  12"  of  common  rafters 
on  the  plan  a  hip  or  valley  at  an  angle  of  45°  has  17". 
SQUARE  ROOT:— A  good  method  of  testing  the  length  of  any 
rafter  is  to  get  the  run  and  the  rise,  and  extract  the  sq  root. 
Lumber  bills  in  thousands,  and  roofs  by  the  acre,  have  been 
finished  by  those  who  never  heard  of  a  such  a  thing,  who 
do  not  know  that  the  useful  8,  6,  10;  and  12,  12,  17,  are  hinged 
on  the  same  principle. 

ROOF  PITCH:— The  pitch  of  a  roof  is  taken  from  the  level 
of  the  walls  to  the  ridge.  A  common  way  of  building  roofs 
is  to  use  a  standard  pitch.  A  i  pitch  is  i  of  the  span  over 
the  walls;  ^  is  i  of  span,  and  so  on.  Thus  a  24'  span  would 
on  i  pitch  give  a  rise  of  6'.  I  ran  across  one  rule  in  a  book 
which  seems  good  enough  to  copy:  "To  get  the  length  of 
rafter  for  i  pitch,  mult  span  by  A;  $  by  §;  f  by  f;  £  by  &\ 
f  by  f."  The  £  pitch  rule  would  be  2"  short  on  a  24'  span; 
but  in  all  cases  the  projections  of  rafters  for  cornice  has  to 
be  allowed  extra,  and  that  would  take  care  of  this  shortage. 
EXTRAS: — Ties,  wall-plates,  ridges,  lookouts,  moulded  rafters 
and  other  subordinate  parts  of  a  roof  have  to  be  attended  to! 
It  is  not  hard  to  overlook  them. 

TRUSSES: — Nothing  need  be  said  about  the  lumber  on  roof 
trusses,  for  it  is  easy  to  take  off.  Rods  and  bolts  are  as 
easily  seen  as  lumber. 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  175 

SHEETING: — Get  exact  surface  to  be  covered  after  deduct- 
ing openings  and  allow  $  more  for  floors,  |  for  side  walls, 
&  to  1  for  roofs.  Sheeting  like  2x4's  covers  a  multitude  of 
holes  and  corners. 

Sheeting  and  shiplap  are  sometimes  nailed  on  an  angle  on 
side  walls  and  floors:  add  1%  to  previous  figures  for  the 
waste,  as  each  board  has  to  be  cut  at  both  ends.  Sheeting 
is  sometimes  left.  2"  open  on  cheap  roofs,  and  a  deduction 
should  be  made  accordingly.  On  plain  roofs  the  quantity 
may  not  be  more  than  for  floors. 

SHIPLAP: — Get  exact  surface  and  allow  &  for  floors,  £  for 
walls,  i  for  roofs.  Some  roofs  need  more.  See  under 
"  Floors  "  an  illustration  of  how  to  get  quantities.  On  pur- 
lins, and  joists  in  mill  construction,  lengths  must  be  watched 
owing  to  wide  spacing.  A  roof  with  only  a  40'  slope  might 
require  46'  of  lumber,  or  a  waste  of  nearly  2'  on  the  end  of 
each  board. 

CORNICE: — With  the  detail  that  ought  to  accompany  the 
main  plans,  but  usually  does  not,  there  should  not  be  any 
trouble  taking  off  the  cornice  lumber.  If  it  is  wp  be  sure 
to  get  the  price  before  estimating.  The  cornice  for  a  com- 
mon frame  building  generally  has  a  sectional  area  of  about 
3';  some  are  less.  Allowance  must  be  made  for  miters  at 
all  corners.  On  cheap  buildings  the  frieze  is  only  I  thick; 
on  good  buildings  it  is  1J,  the  same  as  the  corner-bds.  Base, 
corner-bds,  bands  and  such  trimmings  are  easily  seen. 
SHINGLES: — I  recently  estimated  dimension  shingles  for 
61.6  sq  of  surf  without  a  break,  or  even  a  chimney.  At  4J 
exposure  the  actual  number  used  was  53,500,  or  868  per  sq. 
This  will  serve  as  a  basis.  On  another  plain  building  with 
the  same  exposure,  860  were  used.  On  some  roofs,  gables, 
and  walls,  900  are  necessary. 

At  4"  allow  990;  at  4£,  880;  at  5,  792,  for  the  plainest  surfaces. 

At  4"  allow  1012;  at  4$,  900;  at  5,  810,  for  cut-up  roofs. 

If  6  to  2"  shingles  are  used  about  3%  more  than  5  to  2 
are  required.  The  6  to  2"  are  not  only  thinner  but  narrower, 
and  the  waste  is  greater. 

We  have  many  authorities  on  shingles.  I  have  more  than 
half  a  dozen  at  hand,  and  except  one  they  are  all  the  same 


176  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

with  quantities.  "To  5"  exposure,  720;  4£,  800;  4,  900." 
They  have  been  copying  one  another.  Now  it  is  far  better 
to  copy  what  is  right  than  to  be  original  with  what  is  wrong, 
but  the  quantities  they  give  will  not  hold  out.  They  make 
no  allowance  for  narrow  shingles,  and  the  saw  can  not  cut 
without  waste  here  any  more  than  with  other  lumber — the 
bunch  which  should  measure  20"  is  now  only  19J  and  19; 
and  sometimes  a  shingle  is  lost  or  broken.  The  figures  are 
mathematically  correct,  for  at  4£  exposure  a  shingle  covers 
18  sq  inches,  8  to  the  sq  ft,  800  to  the  sq.  But  what  about 
cutting  for  an  angle  What  about  the  width  of  the  saw-cut 
on  each  piece?  What  about  the  double  course  at  the  eave? 
With  varying  widths  and  qualities  the  exact  quantity  may 
not  always  be  struck,  but  the  mathematical  process  will  not 
do. 

GUTTERS: — The  plain  finish  lumber  Is  easily  seen  in  sec- 
tion, and  the  bottom  is  usually  of  sheeting.  The  millman 
attends  to  brackets  and  mouldings. 

SIDING: — Deduct  all  openings  and  add  $  to  the  surf  in  sq  ft 
for  6"  siding  at  4£  to  4f  to  the  weather.  If  all  boards  were 
kept  at  4$  and  there  were  many  gables  with  the  usual  waste 
this  quantity  would  be  a  trifle  short.  For  4"  siding  allow  i 
more  than  surf  after  deducting  openings. 

By  following  the  method  explained  under  "  Floors  "  we  can 
arrive  at  the  quantity  for  any  exposure.  Take  for  illustra- 
tion a  space  100'  long  and  9'  9"  high.  For  6"  siding  at  4£ 
we  have  26  bds  in  height  and  each  bd  is  100'  long.  This  is 
2,600  If,  or  1,300  bm,  no  waste  being  allowed  for  cutting  on 
end.  The  space  lost  is  exactly  £  of  the  space  exposed;  but 
gains  are  made  at  corner  bds,  casing  around  openings,  etc, 
sufficient  to  make  up  for  cutting,  although  the  quantity  is 
a  trifle  close.  Of  course  the  exposure  is  sometimes  stretched 
i".  Take  for  narrow  siding  the  same  length  with  9'  7",  to 
allow  for  even  spacing  at  2£.  Forty  bds  are  required  100'  long, 
or  4,000  If,  but  each  bd  is  only  $  of  a  ft  wide  and  the  quantity 
is  1,334'  bm,  or  the  actual  surf  mult  by  1.39,  or  a  little  less 
than  1$.  At  2|  exposure  we  have  to  use  1.46;  at  2|,  1.53; 
at  2i,  1.6. 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  177 

DROP  SIDING: — For  drop  siding  allow  as  for  flooring  of 
same  width,  or  proceed  as  explained. 

PAPER: — See  Index  for  weight  of  tar  paper,  etc.  I  always 
remember  one  rule  that  is  safe,  and  close  enough  for  aver 
tar  paper: — Allow  1%  Ibs  to  the  sq  yd.  But  this  is  too 
much  for  some  papers. 

FURRING: — Allow  1  to  the  ft  when  spaced  at  16".  Less  may 
do,  but  a  fire-stop  is  now  obligatory  in  most  cities,  and  there 
is  sometimes  a  good  deal  of  waste  by  breakage.  Where 
2x2's  are  used  the  chance  of  breakage  is  reduced,  and  1  to 
14"  is  enough  for  ordinary  work.  As  with  joists  an  extra 
piece  is  required  for  each  room,  for  only  on  cheap  houses 
is  lath  run  through.  The  figures  given  in  Part  One  are  safe 
if  taken  by  the  sq. 

GROUNDS: — It  is  easy  enough  to  find  the  number  of  ft  for 
doors,  windows,  wainscoting,  etc.  Grounds  are  so  easily 
broken  and  there  is  so  much  waste  that  7  to  10%  extra  should 
be  added.  It  is  well  to  remember  that  for  wood  lath  they 
should  be  of  £  stuff;  for  brick  or  fireproofing  only  f;  and  in 
both  cases  they  must  be  surfaced  1  side.  The  thinner  the 
ground  the  better  will  the  plasterer  like  it. 

The  hard  wall  plaster  companies  give  the  following: 

INSTRUCTIONS  FOR  APPLYING  GROUNDS 

They  should  be  £"  on  wood  lath;  f"  on  Sackett  plaster 
board;  \"  on  brick  or  tile;  |"  over  face  on  wire  lath. 
FLOORS:— On  the  floor  of  No.  7,  3"  thick,  I  was  a  little 
curious  to  know  how  nxuch  an  old  contractor,  for  whom  I 
had  worked  several  years,  had  allowed,  and  I  asked  him, — 
"190,000"."  My  figure  was  189,000.  Owing  to  lengths  of 
plank  which  did  not  suit  the  spacing  of  joists  the  quantity 
required  was  190,000. 

PLANK  FLOORS:— It  is  a  fairly  easy  matter  to  get  at  a 
plank  floor.  Unmatched  lumber  measures  about  \"  less  than 
the  standard  size;  therefore,  if  the  plank  is  6"  it  is  clear  that 
T^  of  it  is  lost,  no  matter  what  thickness;  and  this  without 
making  any  allowance  for  waste  the  long  way,  owing  to  spac- 
ing of  joists,  bad  ends,  etc.  An  allowance  of  \  extra  covers 
6"  stuff. 


178  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

CHECKING: — There  is  an  excellent  way  to  check  plark. 
flooring,  ceiling  and  material  of  this  kind  if  the  exact  width 
is  known.  Take  for  illustration  a  floor  100x200,  and  suppose 
that  joists  are  spaced  to  obviate  any  loss  on  end.  There  are 
219  planks  required  if  5J  is  the  exact  width.  Each  plank 
is  200'  long.  This  makes  43,800  If  at  2"  thick,  and  as  each 
ft  in  length  makes  a  ft  in  bm,  this  is  the  quantity, 
nothing  being  allowed  for  waste  on  end.  No  extra  measure 
has  to  be  allowed  as  the  waste  in  width  is  made  up  by  the 
number  of  planks,  for  at  exactly  6",  only  200  are  required. 
At  £  extra,  44,500  is  the  amount.  A  12"  plank  measures  about 
11$,  so  that  in  proportion  there  is  less  waste  than  on  2  at  6, 
but  the  sidewalk,  floor,  or  wall,  is  not  so  good. 

On  a  large  surf  with  a  thick  floor  I"  less  in  width  means 
a  larger  lumber  bill.  It  would  be  more  than  4,000'  in  No.  7. 
Thus  we  can  not  in  all  cases  expect  to  get  exact  results. 
But  one  point  should  be  remembered  here.  Take  the  exact 
surf  of  a  room, — say,  30x56,  or  1,680  sq  ft.  Let  flooring  be  3" 
at  the  mill,  finishing  2i  face.  An  allowance  of  i  seems  to  be 
enough,  for  the  £  used  in  sawing  and  milling  is  only  £  of 
the  3"  rough  lumber.  But  £  is  required,  even  with  no  waste 
on  end,  because  the  f  wasted  is  $  of  the  finished  surface  of 
2i,  and  there  is  that  much  loss.  The  quantity  is  2,240  with- 
out loss  on  end. 

SQ-EDGED  MAPLE: — For  235  sq  of  sq-edged  maple  29,000' 
of  flooring  were  used.  This  is  a  trifle  more  than  £  extra. 
As  the  boards  were  exactly  3£,  there  was  only  \  of  loss, 
but  the  end  cutting  and  other  waste  makes  up  the  difference. 

So  much  for  plank  and  sq-edged  material;  what  follows 
is  for  d  and  m  stuff. 

YP: — On  No.  3  there  were  262  sq  of  4"  flooring.  The  amount 
used  was  31,616',  or  \  more.  But  there  was  a  gain  of  8"  at 
each  cross  partition,  and  this  counts  in  such  a  building,  for 
in  this  case  the  area  includes  them.  If  there  is  any  pros- 
pect of  waste  through  bad  spacing  of  joists,  etc,  a  fair  allow- 
ance is  between  \  and  i,  or  /^.  When  there  is  a  good  under 
floor  the  waste  is  not  so  great,  as  the  floor  is  sometimes 
nailed  down  regardless  of  the  joist  bearing,  and  this  saves 
material. 


CARPENTER     AND     JOINER     WORK  179 

On  No,  2,  where  there  was  no  gain  on  partitions  and  some 
waste  on  end,  as  there  was  no  under  floor,  the  amount  for  3 
floors, — 157.2  sq — was  20850  ft,  or  a  little  more  than  /,. 
ALLOWANCES:— For  6"  flooring,  J  extra;  2J,  fully  £;  If,  &. 
There  is  always  a  floor  below  narrow  stuff,  and  if  it  is  of 
good  quality  the  waste  need  not  be  much  in  excess  of  the 
milling  allowance. 

If  narrow  matched  stuff  is  used  on  an  angle  of  45°  allow 
£  more. 

CEILING  AND  WAINSCOTING:— Make  same  allowance  as 
for  flooring.  Take  off  plain  lumber  in  the  usual  way,  always 
remembering  that  2"  more  than  12',  14'  16',  and  even  figures 
means  a  board  2'  longer. 

LENGTHS: — Some  attention  must  be  paid  to  the  length  of 
ceiling  as  it  may  cut  to  a  good  deal  of  waste.    Occasionally 
one  finds  an  architect  who  has  never  heard  of  standard  sizes, 
and  for  the  sake  of  2"  in  height  he  wastes  2'  of  lumber. 
MOULDINGS,  etc.,   go  in  millwork. 

PORCHES: — The  framing  lumber,  sheeting,  shingles,  floor- 
ing, ceiling,  and  plain  finishing  boards,  are  taken  off  as  on 
other  parts  of  a  building. 

FINISH  LUMBER: — Shelving  for  storerooms,  pantries,  etc; 
steps  and  risers  for  stairs;  door-jambs,  jamb-linings,  etc,  if 
not  included  in  millwork  can  be  easily  taken  off.  Millmen 
seldom  take  off  plain  lumber. 

CENTERS: — It  is  hard  to  set  a  price,  for  one  might  be  easily 
set  and  removed  on  the  ground,  and  another  high  in  the 
air  and  difficult  to  handle.  As  an  approximate  figure  allow 
for  a  13"  brick  wall: 

Cost  set  Cost  set 

Span  Height       Per  ft    and  removed       Span  Height       Per  ft  and  removed 

4'        2'        $1.00       $4.00  8'        4'        $1.25     $10.00 

6'        3'  1.00         6.00  12'        &          1.60       19.20 

Or  $1  per  ft  wide  to  $1.50. 

SCAFFOLDS: — Allow  $7  per  m  on  all  lumber  for  labor  and 
nails.  Lumber  to  be  used  again,  and  not  included.  If  it  can 
not  be  used,  add  to  the  $7. 


CHAPTER  XI 

MILLWORK  AND  GLASS 

The  following  prices  do  not  include  putting  work  in  place. 
Any  one  in  the  west  engaged  in  building,  may  have  for  the 
asking  a  millbook.  It  is  not  necessary  to  reprint  one  here.  All 
that  will  be  attempted  is  to  give  a  price  on  a  few  selected 
sizes,  so  that  in  case  the  millbook  is  not  at  hand  a  fair 
idea  may  be  obtained  of  any  size  in  proportion  to  that  listed. 
Of  course  prices  change  from  yr  to  yr,  and  at  different  sea- 
sons of  the  yr;  but  stock  stuff  remains  close  enough  for  our 
purpose,  and  a  reasonable  margin  should  be  allowed  on  odd 
work  as  no  2  mills  figure  it  at  the  same  price  any  more 
than  2  contractors. 

The  new  "  Universal  Price  List "  of  millwork  took  effect 
on  February  10,  1908. 

There  are  two  discounts,  the  first  for  regular  stock  work, 
and  the  second  for  "  Other  sizes  and  patterns."  In  August, 
1913,  the  discounts  were: 

Special       Other  sizes 
Stock  List  and  Patterns 

Doors,  A  and  B 70%  60% 

Doors,  YP  Panels 69%  59% 

Doors,  Painted 70%  60% 

Doors,  Fir.    All  sizes 60% 

Doors,  YP.    All  sizes 60% 

Doors,  Cypress 59% 

Sash,  Glazed 80%  75% 

Sash,  Open.     All  sizes 65% 

Blinds,  Outside.     All  sizes 51% 

Blinds,  Inside 50% 

Mouldings,  WP 55%  45% 

Mouldings,  YP  If"  and  under 65%  55% 

Mouldings,  YP  over  If" 60%  50% 

Blocks,  YP 50%  40% 

While  these  discounts  vary  the  relative  proportion  remain* 
about  the  same;  and  the  variation  is  not  so  great  as  to  seri- 
ously affect  an  estimate. 

180 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS  181 

Freight  has   to  be  watched    on    country    work.     Glass    is 
included  in  lists,  as  it  is  usually  supplied  by  the  mills.. 
SASH:  —  (See  "Mouldings"  for  price  of  stiles  and  rails.) 

12  Lights:  Check-rail,  8x12,  glazed  single  strength,  $1.20 
per  window;  9x16,  $1.75;  10x20,  $2.40;  12x20,  $2.8~0. 

8  Lights:  9x12,  $1;  10x18,  $1.65;  12x20,  $2;  14x24,  $2.85;  ss. 

4  Lights:  10x30,  $1.35;  12x40,  $2.10;  14x32,  $1.80;  ss,  $2.50 
dbl  strength;  14x48,  ss  $3.30;  ds,  $4.40;  15x48,  ds,  $4.80. 

2  Lights:  16x32,  ss,  $1.30;  ds,  $1.85;  20x40,  ss,  $1.90;  ds, 
$2.50;  24x48,  ss,  $3.50;  ds,  $4.40';  28x40,  ss,  $2.30;  ds,  $3; 
30x50,  ds,  $4.90. 

The  foregoing  prices  are  for  If  thick;  for  If  on  the  last 
and  largest  size  given,  add  50c;  and  from  that  down  to  25c 
on  the  smaller  sizes.  Add  20c  per  window  for  oil  finish. 
Glass  is  marked  AA,  A,  and  B;  AA  is  selected  from;  A  and 
is  seldom  used.  A  is  common,  and  good  enough  for  most 
purposes.  B  is  often  used  in  place  of  A. 

A  30  light  window,  10xl4xlf,  ss,  is  worth  for  sash,  $5.25; 
for  frame  $3.50.  When  frames  are  bought  it  is  necessary 
to  see  whether  they  are  in  the  knockdown  or  nailed  together. 

For  sash  veneered  with  oak  allow  50%  more  than  the 
prices  given  after  deducting  glass  which  is  the  same  in  both 
kinds.  There  is  a  list  with  nearly  100  sash  extras  in  the 
millbook. 

FOR  FANCY  TRANSOM  lights  add  Sc  each  if  sq  and  15c 
if  on  angle. 

STORM  SASH: — Storm  sash  1J  thick  cost  the  same  as  If 
windows,  they  go  with  in  size. 

SQ  FT  PRICES: — For  those  who  want  a  close  approximate 
figure  the  following  sq  ft  prices  will  be  useful.  Take  the 
inside  size  of  window  frame,  or  glass  size  including  sash. 
Sash  If,  primed,  not  for  oil  finish.  For  12  light  windows,  ss, 
12c  per  sq  ft. 

For  8  lights,  ss,  11  to  12c. 

For  4  lights,  ss,  12  to  14c;   ds,  16  to  18c. 

For  2  lights,  ss,  13  to  15c;  ds,  18  to  19c. 

These  prices  are  taken  at  present  discounts,  but  Ic  a  ft 
on  a  window  of  fair  size  amount  to  only  21c,  so  that  a  little 


182  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

may  be  added  by  those  who  rely  upon  this  sq  ft  base.  Of 
course  the  list  figure  is  cut  on  a  large  order.  On  the  the  30- 
light  window  already  given,  for  example,  the  cost  of  If  sash 
was  only  15c  per  sq  ft.  On  several  large  factory  orders  of 
50  and  60-light  windows,  10x14x2,  ss,  including  box  frame 
complete,  but  no  finish,  the  cost  was  22c  per  sq  ft — but  a 
margin  is  desirable  as  conditions  are  not  always  the  same. 
WEIGHT  OP  SPECIAL  SASH:— It  is  unnecessary  to  set 
down  here  the  weight  of  standard  sash,  as  the  mill  books 
have  complete  lists;  but  it  is*  sometimes  difficult  to  ascertain 
the  weight  of  odd  sizes,  and  the  following  figures  will  serve 
as  a  guide: 

From  a  general  aver  taken  over  the  mill  lists  of  If  wp  stock, 
I  find  that  a  fair -allowance  for  the  weight  of  wood  is  1  Ib 
to  the  sq  ft  of  glass.  Sometimes  the  small  sizes  are  a  trifle 
more,  the  large  ones  a  trifle  less, — say  1-10  of  a  Ib  either  way, 
— but  the  variations  in  the  wood  or  glass  make  1  Ib  a  safe 
allowance.  If  If  sash  are  used  allow  extra  in  the  proportion 
of  11  to  14;  if  hardwood  inside,  allow  weight  as  compared 
with  wp. 

The  glass  varies  a  good  deal;  the  average  of  the  mill  lists 
is  li  Ib  for  ss,  and  1$  for  ds  to  the  sq  ft;  but  on  some  sizes 
ss  runs  from  1  to  1.6  Ib,  and  ds  as  high  as  2  Ibs.  The  proper 
method  is  to  weigh  all  sash,  but  sometimes  this  is  not  done. 
Averages  for  the  foregoing  figures  were  taken  over  1,500 
sq  ft  of  glass. 

The  following  weights  were  obtained  from  a  large  number 
of  sash  put  in  place,  the  small  sizes  on  No.  7;  the  large  on 
No.  1: 

60-lt  windows  10x14x2"  ss  150  Ib  2-lt  windows  28x50x1  £  ds  48  Ib 

50-lt  windows  10x14x2"  ss  134  Ib  2-lt  windows  24x60x1  £  ds  52  Ib 

40-lt  windows  10x14x2"  ss  106  Ib  2-lt  windows  28x60x1  f  ds  64  Ib 

30-lt  windows  10x14x2"  ss    76  Ib  2-lt  windows  30x60x1  f  ds  76  Ib 

2-lt  windows  28x40x1 f"  ds  40  Ib  2-lt  windows  40x60x1  f  ds  80  Ib 

As  in  the  regular  lists  the  total  has  to  be  divided  by  4  to 
get  the  sash  weight. 

DOORS 

CUPBOARD  DOORS:— 16  to  20c  per  sq  ft  in  yp;   in  oak,  J 
more. 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS  183 

OG  4-PANEL  DOORS: — A  quality:  B  doors  are  about  10% 
less.  For  oil  finish  add  50c.  The  millbook  has  a  list  of  40 
"extras"  in  doors.  Sq  ft  prices: 

OG,  4-pan,  If,  17  to  18c;  20c  for  the  largest  sizes. 

OG,  If,  26  to  28;  largest  sizes,  30  to  35c. 

OG,  5-pan,  If,  16  to  18;   largest  sizes,  20  to  22c. 

OG,  5-pan,  If,  26  to  27;  largest  sizes,  30  to  35c. 

Raised-moulded  doors,  4-pan,  If,  1  side,  35c;  2  sides,  40c. 
There  are  a  hundred  varieties  of  these  common  doors,  and 
also  of  front  doors  which  run  from  50c  to  $1  per  sq  ft,  de-. 
pending  upon  style.  For  front  doors  the  glass  has  to  be  added 
extra.  It  may  be  made  to  any  style  or  price. 

Best  q  s  white  oak  and  ash  doors  for  inside  run  fromi  38c 
to  40c  per  sq  ft  from  If  to  2"  thick.  For  each  \"  in  thick- 
ness over  2"  add  2c  per  sq  ft.  If  more  than  5-pan,  add  15c 
for  each  pan  extra.  Unselected  birch  doors  from  30  to  35c; 
if  only  If"  thick,  25c.  Unselected  birch,  $40  and  even  less; 
selected  $50  to  $60  per  M. 

STORE  FRONTS: — Plain  store  fronts,  25c  per  sq  ft  taken 
over  entire  surf  but  no  glass  included.  They  should  prop- 
erly be  priced  in  detail.  Stock  store  doors  alone  are  worth 
from  30  to  40c  per  sq  ft  unglazed. 

FACTORY  DOORS:— Heavy  sq  doors  for  such  buildings 
as  No.  7  are  worth  from  28  to  30c  per  sq  ft.  Each  half  is  6' 
4"xl8'.  At  this  price  they  are  lined  on  one  side  on  a  frame- 
work of  3"  material,  and  a  large  sash  is  put  in  each  half.  If 
circular  top  add  1-7  to  price.  Of  course  a  single  door  would 
cost  more  than  a  large  order. 

WAREHOUSE  DOORS: — For  large  warehouses  doors  cut 
horizontally  in  the  center  and  hinged  so  that  all  door  rises 
clear  up  to  the  lintel,  12"xl2'  about,  $100  with  hardware. 
Installation,  $18. 

BATTEN  DOORS: — 7  to  lOc  per  sq  ft,  wp  ceiling,  1  side. 
FRAMES: — For  windows  about  3'x7',  $3.25  to  $3.5D,  box.  On 
frame  buildings,  2x4"  studding,  put  together,  $2-,25.  The 
price  may  run  as  high  as  $4,  depending  upon  the  style  and 
size;  and  this  without  goirig  into  hardwood,  which  is  30% 
higher.  Aver  pulleys  are  included. 


184  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

OUTSIDE  DOOR  FRAMES  are  about  the  same  price;  with 
transom  $3.50.  From  25  to  40c  is  charged  for  nailing  frames 
together  in  the  mill;  on  the  building  they  cost  twice  as  much. 
If  oak  sills  are  used,  add  from  40c  to  50c.  Wp  is  by  far  the 
best  wood  for  outside  frames,  but  it  can  scarcely  be  obtained 
now,  and  the  price  is  high. 

INSIDE  DOOR  JAMBS:— Studs  2x4,  door  3x7,  wp,  YOc; 
cypress,  80c;  yp,  60c;  oak  and  ash,  $1;  add  from  30  to  50c 
for  transom.  These  prices  are  for  f  jambs.  For  1£,  add  15% 
For  6",  add  25%.  Add  door  and  window  stops  to  figures  as 
they  are  not  included. 

OAK  THRESHOLDS,  6c  each  up  to  3  ft. 

JAMB  LININGS: — Take  door  jambs  as  a  basis,  as  labor  and 
lumber  are  about  the  same  for  £  material. 

BLINDS:— Outside,  rolling  slat,  1|,  9  to  lOc  per  sq  ft.  In- 
side:—(Pine)  2'  wide,  45c;  3',  3-fold,  55c;  3',  4-fold,  70c; 
from  3  to  4',  4-fold,  75c;  3  to  4',  6-fold,  $1.  The  sizes  on 
inside  blinds  are  for  height  and  not  by  the  sq  ft.  For  hard- 
wood:— 30%  extra  for  oak,  ash,  birch,  and  maple;  50%  for 
cherry  and  walnut. 

VENETIAN  BLINDS: — From  15  to  20c  up  per  sq  ft  accord- 
ing to  style  and  finish. 

BLOCKS: — The  varieties  of  base  and  corner  blcoks  are  so 
many  that  a  price  can  not  be  given.  In  yp  3  to  5c  buys  a 
fair  corner  block;  in  hardwood,  6  to  7c,  but  the  cost  may  be 
5  times  as  much  according  to  the  pattern.  Base  blocks,  yp, 
4  to  5c;  and  6  to  8c  for  hardwood  of  common  pattern. 

CORNER  BEADS: — Round  corner  beads  for  plaster,  10  to 
15c  each  in  pine;  25  to  30c  in  common  hardwood.  Metal 
corners,  5c  per  ft, 

MOULDINGS:— The  millbook  has  about  400  different  styles— 
and  each  of  these  may  be  run  in  20  different  kinds  of  wood. 
However,  we  can  give  a  few  hints  for  an  emergency:  — 

CASINGS: — For  all  door  and  window  casing  allow  in  yp  fc 
per  inch  of  finished  width;  in  birch,  fc;  in  oak  or  ash,  Ic 
This  is  on  the  basis  of  lumber  £  thick.  If  casings  are 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS  185 

thicker,  reduce  to  bin  and  estimate  as  before.  In  large  quan- 
tities £c  is  enough  for  yp  and  cypress,  and  |  for  oak. 

BASE: — The  same  prices  will  cover  base — but  this  is  a  good 
place  to  remind  all  interested  that  these  prices  may  be  justly 
doubled  and  quadrupled  if  stock  patterns  are  not  used.  If 
each  room  in  a  house  has  its  own  pattern  special  knives 
have  to  be  made  for  its  50  ft  just  as  for  5,000  of  stock. 

Unsmoothed  yp  casing  to  6"  wide  is  listed  at  2c  per  If; 
8"  base  at  3c;  10",  3i,  so  that  the  foregoing  prices  are  safe 
for  smoothed  work.  New  mill-run  casing  5  and  6",  $33  per 
M  ft  bm;  8  and  10"  base,  $35. 

WINDOW  STOOLS:— These  are  usually  1|  thick.  At  that 
thickness  allow  in  wp  Ic  per  inch  of  finished  width;  in  w 
oak,  1J,  Jx3"  pine,  2c  per  If. 

WINDOW  STILES  AND  RAILS:— 1|  wp,   4c  per  If;    If,  5c. 
Checkrail  is  less,  bottom  more,  but  average  holds. 
STOPS: — Door  and  window  stops  run  from  %  to- lie,  depend- 
ing on  width  which  is  from  f  to  2£. 
NOSINGS  FOR  STEPS:— Prom  2c  to  4c  in  pine. 
BOOR  AND  WINDOW  SCREENS:— 8c  per  sq  ft;    door,  8  to 
12c,  with  plain  black  wire,   in  pine,  but  not  Michigan  pine. 
The  best  wire  costs  about  2^c  per  sq  ft  extra.     This  is  for  1£ 
thick,  common  work,  unpainted,  and  not  put  up.     Oak  doors, 
:3'x7'xl£,  $4  to  $5. 

For  the  aver  house  of  20  to  25  screens  allow  $1.50  per 
"window,  and  add  $10  for  two  doors.  This  will  supply  a  half 
screen  f  thick,  4-coat  finish  with  ordinary  black  wire,  Michi- 
gan pine,  put  in  place. 

But  there  are  large  factories  which  make  nothing  else  than 
screens  and  the  variety  is  without  end.  For  a  real  bronze 
grille  for  a  front  door,  for  example,  one  specimen  costs  $26, 
•or  $1.25  sq  ft,  if  put  all  over  door.  All  screens  may  be  in- 
creased in  price  by  using  the  higher  qualities  of  materials, 
and  extras. 

:LABOR: — 2   oak  front   doors,   4   pines   ones,   and   30   window 
full  screens,  half  of  them  hinged  at  top  were  put  in  place  in 
about  60  hours  on  a  2-story  building. 
BATTENS:— §x3  flat,  40c  per  100  If;  0  G,  2",  55c;  2£,  65c. 


186  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LATTICE  WORK:— Below  porches  per  sq  ft,  13  to  15c. 
MEDICINE  CABINETS:— In  pine,  $3.50  to  $4;   in  oak,  $5  to 
$6.     See   "  Odds   and   Ends "   Chap   for   Brass   Cabinets,     See 
"  Mirrors"  to  add  to  price  of  pine  and  oak  cabinets. 

WOOD  BRACKETS 

12x14,  1| 20  to  24c 

12x16,  If 23  to  27c 

12x18,  If 28  to33c 

10x12,  If i£  to  18c 

10x16,  If 18  to  22c 

Of  3-Ply  if  Material 

9x14 35  to  40c 

10x14 38  to  44c 

12x14 41  to  47c 

12x20 50  to  55c 

GABLE  ENDS  AS  ON  RAILROAD  DEPOTS:— Prom  $4.50 
to  $6.50. 

Gable  Brackets  as  on  Depot $3.50 

Side  Brackets  as  on  Depot 4.00 

FREIGHT  DEPOT: — The  complete  millwork  on  a  building 
40x100,  with  heavy  doors,  and  such  work  runs  to  about  $800. 
No  flooring  included. 

PASSENGER     STATIONS:— Hardwood     millwork     complete, 
about  $1,200  for  a  26x140  ordinary  brick  building. 
MOULDINGS: — With   the    exception    of   a    few    of    deep    cut 
all  mouldings  may  be  estimated  at  the  prices  given  for  cas- 
ings and  base. 

PANELING: — For  yp,  20c  per  sq  ft;  birch,  30c;  oak,  30c  for 
plain  red  to  40c  for  q  s  white.  However,  the  size  of  the 
panels  and  the  style  of  the  moulding  have  to  be  considered. 
Unselected  birch  is  10%  cheaper  than  oak;  cherry  and  walnut 
are  50%  more  expensive  than  plain  oak.  Paneled  door  jambs 
may  be  put  in  at  the  same  rate  if  there  are  several  sets. 

Add  cap,  base,  shoe  bands,  etc,  for  wainscoting. 
MAHOGANY  WAINSCOTING  about  3'  6"  high,  of  aver  design, 
and  good   Tabasco  material,   $4.50  per  If  without  oil   finish, 
for  which  allow  at  least  75c  per  sq  yd. 

Mahogany  paneled  partition,  set  and  oiled,  $12  per  If. 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS  187 

OFFICE  PARTITIONS: — For  yp  office  partitions  7'  to  T  6" 
high  with  chipped  or  maze-glass  panels  above  allow  per  If 
$3  to  $3.50;  in  plain  oak,  $5  to  $6;  in  mahogany,  $8  and  up. 

QUARTETTE  TELEGRAPH  desk,  set  up,  $35. 

WAINSCOTING: — Plain  matched  and  b  red  oak  wainscot- 
ing is  worth  $60  per  M  ft  bm  ;  machine  sandpapered,  $5  extra. 
For  plain  oak  finish  allow  $90  per  M  machine  run  and  cleaned. 
The  paneled  oak  wainscoting  in  No.  3  was  put  in  at  a  trifle 
less  than  50c  per  sq  ft.  It  was  8'  high. 

STAIRS: — Box,  average  width,  pine,  housed,  per  step,  $1.40; 
plain  oak,  $2.10.  Open  stair,  pine,  per  step,  $1.60;  oak,  $2.20; 
oak  with  paneled  string,  $2.85.  And  rail  in  yp,  15c;  oak,  25c. 
Each  crook  in  rail,  $3.50.  Paneling  at  regular  price  for  sq 
work,  and  20%  more  for  work  on  rake.  Winders  in  pine,  40c 
extra;  in  oak,  60c.  For  large,  circle  starting-step,  $5.  Newels 
and  balusters  to  be  added. 

These  prices  are  for  plain  stairs;  others  have  to  be  figured 
in  detail.  Cellar  and  plank  stairs  may  be  estimated  by  tak- 
ing off  the  plain  lumber  and  allowing  labor  at  $30  per  M 
in  addition. 

NEWELS  AND  BALUSTERS:— Allow  on  If  yp  balusters, 
from  10  to  12c;  oak,  12  to  14c.  This  is  for  stock  and  plain 
turning;  spiral  wok  costs  about  twice  as  much.  Stock 
newels  run  from  $3.50  to  $5;  red  oak  is  about  10%  more  than 
pine. 

HAND  RAILS: — In  yp  12c  for  2^x4;  in  red  oakr  15c.  The 
price  of  circular  stairs  may  be  put  at  3  times  that  of  plain 
ones;  and  there  are  stairs  which  easily  cost  10  times  more 
than  what  would  be  accepted  as  a  reasonable  standard.  It 
all  depends  upon  the  detail. 

GRILLES: — These  run  in  yp  from  75c  to  $2  per  sq  ft.  For 
special  patterns  and  work  $5  may  be  required.  As  there  is 
little  material  required  the  difference  between  pine  and  hard- 
wood is  not  so  great  as  in  other  mill  products.  Allow  10% 
more  for  oak. 

PORCH  POSTS:— The  lengths  run  from  9  to  10'  with  a  slight 
difference  in  price  for  extra  lumber:  4x4,  90c  to  $1,25,  5x5, 


188  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

$1.25  to  $1.75;  6x6,  $1.50  to  $2.75.  A  fluted  post,  75c  extra. 
A  colonial  post,  10"  diam,  $4  to  $5;  fluted,  $1  extra. 

HEAVY  POSTS:— A  recent  bid  on  6  built-up  fluted  cols,  22" 
at  bottom,  18"  diam  at  top  x  12'  6",  no  base,  plain  composition 
cap  was  $246,  or  $41  each.  The  Chicago  price,  given  further 
on,  is  but  a  little  more  than  half  as  much. 

PORCH  NEWELS:— 60c  to  $1  each. 

PORCH  BALUSTERS:— Allow  from  6  to  lOc  apiece  for 
ordinary  turned  stock. 

SPINDLES: — In  stock  patterns,  from  3  to  4c  eacti. 
PORCH  RAILS:— From  4  to  lOc  per  If  in  stock. 
BRACKETS:— In  stock,  10"xl2",  12  to  20c  each  at  1£  thick; 
2f,  50c;   3i,  $1.50. 

CRESTING,  all  kinds  of  fretwork,  gable  ornaments,  gutter- 
ends,  flnials,  etc,  are  neither  worth  pricing  nor  putting  on 
a  building  even  if  furnished  for  nothing.  The  heat  and  rain 
wreck  them  in  a  few  years  at  longest. 

COUNTERS: — Take  off  all  material  and  estimate  labor  in 
detail.  Ceiling,  shelving,  etc,  come  under  ordinary  rules. 
For  all  circular  millwork  in  general  allow  3  times  the  price 
of  straight.  Money  drawers,  $1.50  each.  Common  drawers, 
average  size,  $1.50  to  $2. 

Plain  pine  counters  with  drawers,  $2  to  $3  per  If  at  30" 
wide,  not  set.  Common  oak  counters  for  ticket  offices,  $5 
per  If;  good  q  s,  $10  and  up.  Mahogany,  $10  to  $20,  set  in 
place.  Lunch  counters,  oak,  circle  ends,  $3.50  per  If.  With 
brass  ft  rail  $1.25  more,  set  in  place. 

ODDS  AND  ENDS: — In  general,  millmen  are  like  other 
tradesmen  when  estimating  on  special  work — they  take  off 
each  item  separately.  It  is  a  slow  process  to  take  off  each 
piece  of  lumber,  but  it  often  has  to  be  done  as  it  is  the  onTv 
sure  way  with  special  work.  The  labor  is  a  matter  of  judg- 
ment. 

SQUARE  PICKETS  are  worth  2£c  each;  flat,  a  trifle  less. 
SURFACING:— For  timbers,   $1.25   each   side;    boards,   $1.50, 
and  $2.50  for  2   sides.     Hardwood,  60%  more.     These  prices 
are  per  M  ft  bm. 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS  189 

CROWNING  JOISTS:— $2.50  per  M  for  two  edges. 
CUTTING  BRIDGING:— $5  to  $6  per  M  bm. 

OAK-FLOORING:— Red,  $60;  white,  $65;  best  q  s,  white, 
$100;  quartered  red,  $95; — all  |x3;  f  q  s  white,  $55.  In  some 
parts  fxli  plain  red  oak  is  sold  for  80c  per  100  If. 

MAPLE,  |,  $30  to  $45;   §,  $40. 

PARQUET  FLOORS  AND  BORDERS  : — There  are  many  pat- 
terns, and  the  prices  differ.  In  my  apprenticeship  I  worked 
so  long  among  these  floors  that  the  look  of  them  wearied  me. 
They  are  made  up  of  small  pieces  in  an  endless  array.  Then 
the  only  thickness  was  1;  but  now  a  popular  thickness  is  tfc. 
This  thin  floor  can  be  laid  without  cutting  doors  in  old 
houses,  and  this  accounts  in  part  for  its  popularity.  Par- 
quet borders  are  often  used  and  rugs  placed  in  the  center  of 
the  room.  It  is  a  better  way  of  finishing  a  house  than  car- 
peting all  over. 

All  oak  is  white,  quartered,  in  the  following  lists:  Price 
per  If  for  strip  borders,  5-16. 

Oak  Under  2" ',  Ic 

Cherry li,  1.2c;  2,  1.8c 

Mahogany 1£,  2.4c;  2,  4.2 

Walnut li,  1.2c;  2,  1.8c 

Oak  and  Mahogany l|,  3    c;  2,  4.8c 

Oak  and  Walnut 4,    3.6c;  6,  5.4c       ;> 

Oak,  Walnut,  and  Cherry 6,  7.2c;  8,  10     c 

Strip  borders  are  not  listed  wider  than  8",  although  they 
may  be  made  of  any  width  or  of  any  combination  of  woods. 

Parquet  bordes,  5-16,  per  If, — not  sq  ft. 

In  oak  alone,  5"  wide,  lOc  with  2  or  3  other  woods,  12  to  15c. 

At  a  width  of  8",  oak  only,  15c;  with  other  woods,  15  to  25c. 

At  12"  wide,  2  to  4  woods,  20  to  30c. 

At  16  to  18",  25  to  38c,  but  some  woods  of  same  width,  40 
to  50c. 

Some  woods  at  20"  may  be  had  as  low  as  30c  and  as  high 
as  $1. 

At  24  to  30,  75c  to  $1.25. 


190  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Corners  for  borders  are  about  50%  more  than  straight 
material. 

Borders  are  made  in  12'  lengths;   fields,  4'. 

Sizes  are  paid  for  before  cutting,  and  waste  has  to  be  in- 
cluded in  price. 

PARQUET  FIELDS:— The  price  of  the  field  or  "body"  is 
given  in  sq  ft:  There  is  not  so  much  difference  between 
prices  of  fields  as  with  those  of  borders.  They  are  hidden  by 
the  rug  and  may  be  plainer.  They  run  from  15  to  20c,  but 
some  are  as  high  as  35c.  These  thin  floors  sometimes  come 
rolled  on  a  canvas  back,  carpet  fashion,  or  grooved  the  same 
as  the  |"  material,  instead  of  being  sq  edged  as  above. 
•QUANTITIES: — One  manufacturer  gives  an  estimate  of 
material  for  100  sq  ft  as  follows:  2J  Ibs  1J"  finishing  brads; 
3£  Ibs  wood  filler;  3  pts  shellac  %  Ib  floor  wax.  "  If  filled 
with  varnish  (instead  of  filler)  1  qt  to  100  ft."  For  maple 
the  filler  is  not  required.  The  weight  of  f"  flg  is  1,000  Ibs 
to  1,000  ft;  of  I,  2,500. 

WAINSCOTING: — Oak  wainscoting,  36"  high  above  base,  is 
also  standard.  It  runs  from  45  to  75c  per  If,  and  is  thus 
much  cheaper  than  regular  £  work. 

CHICAGO  MILLWORK 

The  millmen  and  dealers  of  Chicago  sell  about  $10,000,000 
of  millwork  in  a  year.  This  city  is  a  penter  for  the  millwork 
of  the  States  on  the  north  and  west,  and  for  the  glass  fac- 
tories of  Indiana.  It  has  low  freight  rates  and  railroads  to 
all  sections.  A  few  prices  fob  there  will  be  of  much  value. 
FRONT  DOORS:— Size  3x7xlf,  with  beveled  plate,  22x52, 
piano  veneered,  q  s,  white  oak,  $15.50. 

Same  door  with  oval  plate  glass,   $21. 

;Same,  3x7xl|,  24x44,  beveled  plate,  $15. 

:Same,  3x7xlf,  24x36,  beveled  plate,  $14. 

Same,  3x7xl£,  24x36,  16-oz  glass,  $10.50. 

For  several  varieties  of  front  doors,  3x7xlf,  red  oak,  or 
Trirch,  $10  to  $14,  in  beveled  plate;  $8  to  $10  in  com  D  S  glass. 
About  $1  less  on  plate,  and  30c  on  com  glass  for  next  size, 
2-10x6-10. 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


191 


For  red  oak  or  birch  veneer,  3x7xl|,  leaded  with  com.  glass, 
22x58,  $11.50;   beveled  plate  leaded,  $21.75. 
For  leaded  panel,  26x26,  $8.75  and  $14.50. 

GRAINED  DOORS: — These  are  inferior  doors,  but  good 
enough  for  some  purposes: 

For  3x7xlf,  four  or  five  panel,  $1.65  to  $1.85.  For  2-6x6-6, 
$1.30  to  $1.45. 

For  sash  doors,  3x7xl|,  grained,  $2.85  to  $3.50;  2-8x6-8,  $2.35 
to  $2.90. 

For  sash  doors  with  flowered  panels,  inferior  quality, 
grained  3x7xl|,  $3.75  to  $4.10. 

For  same,  better  quality,  not  grained,  If  thick,  $5.50  to 
$7.00;  for  If,  plain  glass,  $4  to  $5. 

INSIDE   DOORS: — Korelock  veneered,  two  panel: 


2-Ox6-Oxlf  

Plain  Red  Oak 
$4.05 

Birch 
$3.25 

:2-6x6-6xlf  

4.05 

3.25 

2-8x6-8x1  f 

4  20 

3.40 

2-6x7  -Ox  If 

'  485 

3.90 

2-6x7-0x1  1 

5.35 

4.40 

3-0x7-0x1  f.. 

5.70 

4.65 

3-Ox7-6xH.  . 

7.00 

5.30 

SIX  CROSS   PANEL   KORELOCK 


2-Ox6-Oxlf 

Plain  Red  Oak 
$3.45 

Birch 
$2.70 
2.80 
3.30 
3.80 
4.00 
4.20 
4.70 

2-8x6-8x1  { 
2-6x7-0x1  \ 
2-6x7-0x1  : 
2-10x7-0x1 
3-Ox7-Oxl| 
3-0x7-6x13 

3.60 

4.25 

.  .      .           4.75 

!•  • 

5.05 

5  15 

5.90 

Best  quality  for  oil  finish  in  39  sizes,  5  yp  panels,  western 
wp  frame  for  If  sizes  on  aver  20c  per  sq  ft;  for  If,  up  to 
7-0  high  24c;  for  T  6",  from  27  to  34,  the  5x7-6  being  31c, 
and  the  2-6x8,  34c. 

EXTRAS:— For  cypress  doors  allow  from  40c  to  50c  extra 
son  a  door;  for  yp  5-panel  doors  deduct  from  15c  to  25c  per 
door,  all  from  above  list, 


192  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

CUPBOARD  DOORS: — 20c  per  sq  ft  in  yp. 

CHINA  CLOSET  DOORS:— Glazed  with  common  glass,  25c 
per  sq  ft  in  yp. 

FACTORY  WINDOWS 

Sq  ft  cost  of  60  light  windows  on  Nos.  7  and  8  has  already 
been  given,  but  these  were  from  If  to  2"  thick  and  cost  more 
on  this  account.  So  many  buildings  have  been  put  up  of  late 
years  with  this  class  of  windows  that  the  mills  now  give  a 
list  on  the  common  sizes: 

For  15  light  windows,  ss,  If  open,  check  rail,  5c  per  sq  ft; 
glazed  lie. 

For  18  light,  as  above,  same  price. 
For  20  light,  as  above,  same  price. 
For  24  light,  as  above,  same  price. 
For  30  light,  as  above,  5c  and  12c. 
For  32  light,  5c  and  13c. 

For  windows  If  thick  add  to  above,  £  of  the  price  of  win- 
dows without  glass  to  price  of  window  wanted — thus  a  win- 
dow with  32  sq  ft  at  5c  would  be  $1.60  open,  and  £  of  this 
being  $1.20,  the  figure  for  If  would  be  $2.80  open,  $5.04  glazed. 

These  prices  are  fob  Chicago,  and  do  not  include  frames. 

COTTAGE  WINDOWS:— From  3-8  to  5-2  wide  and  5-2  to  6-2 
long.  With  bottom  light  plate  glass,  70c  per  sq  ft;  33c  in 
plain  ds  glass.  For  If"  thick  add  to  window  75c  to  $1  net. 

GABLE  OPENING: — For  a  triple  frame  about  8  ft  wide  by 
3-9  high  over  all,  but  center  margin  light  sash  semi-circular 
and  running  up  above  this  height,  side  sash  divided  1&  pop« 
lar,  frame  $8.50,  3  sash,  $8.50. 

SASH  AND  WINDOW  PRICES  FOR  COMMON  WORK 

A  Chicago  price  is  given  on  some  standard  size  windows 
herewith.  The  list  is  not  complete,  but  sufficiently  so  for 
most  who  will  use  it.  For  If"  thick  see  rule  page  196. 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


193 


TRANSOM 

SASH  1^ 

THICK 

ONE 

LIGHT 

Two  LIGHT 

Size  of 
Sash 

Ft      In  In 

Price  per 
Sash  Open 

Price  Two 
Light 
Glazed 

Price  One 
Light 
Glazed 

Price  One 
Light  Dbl 
Strength 

Size  of 
Sash 

Ft      In   In 

Price  per 
Sash  Open 

Price  Two 
Light 
Glazed 

|J 

2 

6x10 

$0.23 



$0.39 



4 

0x14 

$0.50 

$0.94 

$1.23 

2 

6x16 

.24 



.51 



4 

0x20 

.57 

1.22 

1.66 

2 

6x20 

.36 



.80 



4 

0x24 

.60 

1.48 

2.05 

2 

8x10 

.24 

.47 

4 

4x14 

.57 

1.05 

1.37 

2 

8x16 

.25 

.53 

4 

4x20 

.59 

1.40 

1.91 

2 

8x20 

.30 

.67 

4 

4x24 

.64 

1.59 

2.13 

2 

8x24 

.43 

.97 

4 

6x14 

.59 

.14 

1.57 

2 

10x14 

.25 

.50 

4 

6x20 

.60 

.45 

1.91 

2 

10x20 

.30 



.70 



4 

6x24 

.66 

.65 

2.47 

2 

10x24 

.43 

1.01 

5 

0x14 

.64 

.23 

1.77 

3 

0x14 

.28 



.57 



5 

0x20 

.66 

.57 

2.35 

3 

0x20 

.33 

.... 

.77 

5 

0x24 

.70 

.79 

2.84 

3 

0x24 

.40 



.95 



5 

0x26 

.74 

.90 

2.88 

3 

6x14 

.37 

$0.77 

.78 

$0.97 

5 

6x18 

.74 

1.68 

2.53 

3 

6x20 

.45 

1.04 

1.07 

1.35 

5 

6x24 

.78 

2.08 

2.95 

3 

6x24 

.49 

1.25 

1.25 

1.57 

5 

6x30 

.86 

2.49 

3.61 

3 

8x14 

.40 

.82 

.85 

1.04 

6 

0x20 

.82 

1.9.4 

2.82 

3 

8x20 

.51 

1.13 

1.23 

1.52 

6 

0x26 

.89 

2.41 

3.62 

3 

8x24 

.57 

1.37 

1.42 

1.80 

6 

0x34 

1.06 

3.35 

5.04 

CELLAR  SASH: — For  cellar  sash,  attic  sash,  etc,  the  above 
prices  are  close  enough  if  the  outside  measurement  is  the 
same,  and  at  1|. 

If",  1  LT  SASH  WITH   PLAIN  GLASS 


& 

jj 

M 

3 

GO 

-C  M 

fl-,"^     ^0             -..^3     HI 

^  bo 

-,-C  M 

-.  *"C3    <D 

ij 

gg 

Sgg 

sSS    2§1 

W    N 

§  §        o  ^  § 

.sSS 

Sg-S 

IS 

•cj  S 

gjj<     •Cjj 

ga 

£o  £|| 

EJJ 

'Za3 

od 

A 

02 

Q 

16x20 

$0.32 

$0.51 

$0.63     

36x36 

.72  

2.28 

5.80 

20x20 

.32 

.59 

.65    

36x44 

.72   

2.85 

8.62 

24x24 

.32 

.70 

.91     

38x42 

.96   

2.65 

8.90 

24x30 

.34 

.83 

1.09    

38x56 

1.07   

4.20 

11.65 

26x30 

.39 

.93 

1.20    

40x44 

1.00   

3.16 

10.50 

28x32 

.41 

1.09 

1.40    

40x60 

1.14   

4.82 

13.06 

30x38 

.47 

1.35 

1.74     

44x44 

1.15   

3.65 

11.85 

32x32 

.49 



1.79    

48x44 

1.27   

4.71 

12.75 

32x40 

.56 

2.34     

48x56 

1.36   

5.75 

14.70 

34x36 

.56 



2.11     

194 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


NO  WINDOW  FRAMES  INCLUDED 
NET  PRICES  OF  8  LT  CHECK   RAIL  1f"  WINDOWS 


ill 

ill 

m 

te 

•I'5-S 
*  3  .a 

111    1 

II 

J.H1 

III 

AngO 

fe^O 

•g£S 

ii^jj        ^ 

|o 

££o 

•g<§« 

K  ° 

& 

9x12 

$0.44 

$0.84 

$1.26 

12x14 

.53 

1.12 

1.40 

9x16 

.64 

1.33 

1.56 

12x20 

.70 

1.66 

1.94 

10x12 

.46 

.85 

1.26 

14x16 

.63 

1.47 

1.66 

10x16 

.55 

1.12 

1.56 

14x20 

.74 

1.77 

2.10 

10x20 

.80 

1.75 

1.94 

14x24       1 

.20 

2.85 

2.50 

NET  PRICES  OF  12  LT 

8x10 

$0.45 

$0.85 

$1.16 

10x12 

.56 

1.18 

1.46 

8x14 

.64 

1.47 

1.40 

10x16. 

.66 

1.52 

1.76 

9x12 

.53 

1.08 

1.40 

10x20) 

.94 

2.40 

2.16 

9x14 

.58 

1.67 

1.50 

12x14 

.68 

1.72 

2.03 

9x16 

.76 

1.80 

1.66 

12x20       1 

.03 

2.78 

2.80 

NET  PRICES  OF  4  LT 


W 

Price 
Without 
Glass 

£ 

g-StJi 

e3M  C 

|| 

HI 

Price 
Without 
Glass 

J2 

Jif 

1 

or 

10x16 

$0.38 

$0.71 

$1.10 

1  14x20 

$0.49 

$1.04 

$1.40 

10x24 

.43 

.86 

1.26 

14x24 

.49 

1.14 

1.40 

10x30 

.50 

1.14 

1.50 

14x28 

.54 

1.32 

1.50 

10x36 

.70 

1.72 

1.76 

14x32 

.60 

1.53 

'2.24 

1.66; 

12x16 

.41 

.80 

1.10 

14x36 

.65 

1.70 

2.52 

1.94 

12x24 

.46 

1.03 

1.26 

14x40 

.72 

1.96 

2.78 

2.10) 

12x28 

.50 

1.14 

1.40 

14x44 

1.00 

2.83 

3.75 

2.33 

12x36 

.62 

1.48 

1.77 

14x48 

1.16 

3.31 

4.36 

2.50 

12x40 

.68 

1.75 

1.94 

15x20 

.62 

1.44 



1.54 

12x44 

.96 

2.55 

2.33 

15x24 

.62 

1.60 

'  2.09 

1.54 

12x48 

1.12 

2.80 

2.50 

15x30 

.72 

1.90 

2.69 

1.80 

15x34 

.79 

2.24 

3,02 

2.09, 

15x38 

.86 

2,47 

3.3.3 

2.26; 

15x42 

.95 

2,94 

3.93. 

2.46» 

15x4.8 

U9 

&Q1 

4.?0j 

2,7.5 

MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


NET  PRICES  OF  2  LT 


fe 

65 

66 

.!.§« 

. 

66 

66 

go 

III 

Sli 

t>-  "fl 
P"    GJ    TO 

"3.9 

|j| 

g  o  a 

||| 

E'fi 

'n!s-^j 
PM.2  fl 

figO 

1-°* 

IP 

"Sow 

ji^J 

£j^O 

^y5 

II3 

«oS 

O  02 

00 

* 

0$ 

00 

rj 

$0.40 

$0.75 

$0.95 

$0.96 

28x40 

$0.67 

$1.98 

$2.56 

$2.10 

.42 

.93 

1.23 

1.07  . 

28x44 

.80 

2.65 

3.36 

2.33 

.47 

.98 

1.38 

1.11 

28x48 

1.10 

3.75 

4.75 

2.50 

.65 

1.44 

1.94 

1.42 

30x24 

.57 

1.40 

1.95 

1.46 

.40 

.80 

1.04 

1.10 

30x32 

.58 

1.90 

2.49 

1.76, 

.44 

.99 

1.42 

1.40 

30x40 

.70 

2.32 

3.04 

2.16 

.59 

1.28 

1.83 

1.56 

30x44 

.98 

3.20 

4.05 

2.57 

.65 

1,57 

2.17 

1.76 

30x50 

1.21 

3.82 

4.86 

2.94 

.73 

1.88 

2.42 

1.94 

32x24 

.71 

1.60 

2.03 

1.69 

.40 

.88 

1.18 

1.10 

32x30 

.73 

2.22 

2.88 

1.90 

.40 

.93 

.22 

1.26 

32x36 

.77 

3.28 

2.26 

.44 

1.04 

.36 

1.40 

32x40 

1.00 

4.56 

2.49 

.49 

1.22 

.61 

1.56 

32x44 

1.15 

5.36 

2.96 

.55 

1.38 

.79 

1.76 

32x50 

1.40 

5.64 

3.28 

.73 

1.91 

2.48 

1.94 

34x24 

.88 

2.18 

2.68 

1.69 

.41 

.94 

.23 

1.10 

34x28 

.89 

2.48 

3.16 

1.73. 

.44 

1.03 

1.36 

1.34 

34x32 

.89 

.... 

3.50 

2.04 

.49 

1.20 

.55 

1.50 

34x36 

.96 

.... 

4.25 

2  26- 

.54 

1.45 

.88 

1.66 

34x40 

1.04 

4.59 

2.5® 

.75 

2.22 

2.88 

1.94 

34x44 

1.26 

.... 

7.25 

3.46- 

.89 

2.66 

3.45 

2.32 

34x50 

1.46 

6.75 

3.45 

1.04 

2.80 

3.58 

2.48 

36x24 

.84 

1.96 

2.46 

1.82' 

.43 

.93 

1.24 

1.10 

36x30 

.85 

2.41 

3.06 

2.12 

.43 

1.07 

1.42 

1.26 

36x34 

.90 

3.67 

2.46 

.48 

1.19 

1.58 

1.40 

36x38 

.95 

4.52 

2.68 

.52 

1.37 

1.77 

1.56 

36x44 

1.33 

.... 

5.60 

3.04 

.59 

1.50 

1.95 

1.76 

36x50 

1.60 

7.52 

3.46 

.65 
.91 
1.06 

1.86 
2.68 
3.42 

2.41 
3.46 
4.30 

1.94 
2.32 

2.48 

40x24 
!  40x34 
!  40x38 

.94 
1.00 
1.05 

.... 

2.86 
3.76 
4.62 

2.03 
2.7& 
2.99> 

.47 

1.05 

1.45 

1.26 

!  40x44 

1.45 

6.81 

3.38; 

.47 

1.24 

1.67 

1.46 

44x30 

1.05 

4.07 

2.62: 

.52 

1.45 

1.90 

1.64 

44x34 

1.10 

4.65 

3.0* 

.58 

1.74 

2.24 

1.90 

44x38 

1.40 

6.75 

3.30 

.64 

1.94 

2.53 

2.06 

44x42 

1.49 

7.72 

3.58 

.70 

1.08 

2.19 
3.43 

2.84 
4.33 

2.24 
2.50 

48x30 
48x36 

1.17 
1.23 

4.71 
5.70 

2.87 
3.40) 

.51 

1.28 

1.77 

1.40 

48x40 

1.55 

7.22 

3.68; 

.51 

1.45 

1.90 

1.50 

48x44 

1.71 

10.06 

.56 

1.72 

2.23 

1.69 

.62 

1.93 

2.52 

1.94 

196 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


NET  PRICES  OF  2  LT  PANTRY  WINDOWS 


1|!  Ill  111  1! 

X°Z  £g°  £g3  (§8 

12x20  $0.35  $0.72  $0.84 

12x28  .40  .91  .94 

12x32  .54  1.22  1.06 

12x36  .60  1.41  1.24 


Per 
dow 
n 


«1 

sll      gs£     gl-2 
ffi0^      ;cgo     g£3 


Pric 
Wi 


Outside 
Blinds 


14x20  $0.36  $0.74  $0.94 

14x26  .38  .91  .96 

14x30  .44  .96  1.10 

14x36  .62  1.42  1.26 


RULE  FOR  1f"  ODD  WINDOWS 

For  odd  size  windows  If"  thick,  open  or  glazed,  add  to 
price  of  next  larger  listed  size,  25%  of  the  open  price.  If 
glazed,  add  to  total  10%. 

RULE  FOR  If"  SASH   AND  WINDOWS 

For  price  of  If"  open  window  add  to  price  of  If"  open 
window  75%. 

Example:  A  2  light  12x28  If"  window  would  take  the  If" 
open  price  of  40c  as  given  above  plus  75%,  which  is  30c, 
making  the  price  of  the  If"  open  window  70c  net. 

For  price  of  If"  glazed  window  add  to  1|"  glazed  window 
price,  single  or  dbl  strength,  75%  of  the  open  window  price, 
plus  an  extra  10%  to  the  total. 

Example:  Follow  example  above  adding  the  30c  to  the 
glazed  price  of  91c,  which  makes  $1.21  then  add  10%  to  this, 
making  the  price  of  the  glazed  window  $1.33. 

For  2"  or  2£  sash  the  price  is  dbl  that  already  given. 
HOT  BED  SASH 


Size  of  Sash 
Ft     In  Ft     In 

3       0x6       0. 
3       4x6 


Price  Per          Price  Per 

Thickness  Sash  Sash 

Inches       Without  Glass       Glazed 

If  $1.05  $1.95 

If  1.09  2.15 

SASH    EXTRAS  TO   BE   ADDED  TO   PRICE 

For  half  circle  head  inside  and  outside,  $1.15. 
For  half  circle  inside  and  outside,  If,  $1.65. 
For  half  circle  head  inside  and  outside,  but  between  3'  4" 
and  5'  wide,  $2.70. 

For  Half  Circle  Outside,  sq  inside,  If,  between  3'-4"  and 

5' wide $2.55 

For  Same,  If 3.75 

For  Segment  Head,  If" 50 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


197 


For  Segment  Head,  If" $0.75 

For  Segment  Head,  If"  from  3-4  to  5 90 

For  Segment  Head,  If"  from  3-4  to  5 1.40 

In  addition  to  these  figures  add  20%  to  the  total  when  they 
are  combined  with  the  window  chosen.     These  prices  are  for 
the  window  or  2  sash,  and  do  not  include  frame. 
OIL  FINISH:— For  really  good  oil  finish  work  add  20%  to 
price. 

NET    PRICES    ON    WINDOW    FRAMES 

This  table  of  prices  can  be  used  for  2  light,  4  light,  8  light, 
or  12  light  windows,  simply  taking  the  exact  size  or  the  next 
largest  window  size. 


Open 


ing  Siz< 
for  If 


Size  of  Window 
Sash 


Plain  Drip   Moulded  Window   Box  Window 


Cap 
No  Pulleys 
Knock  Down 


2-4£x5-8  and  under $1 . 40 

2-4|x6-8  and  under 1 . 57 

2-4|x7-8  and  under 1 . 73 

2-4f  x8-8  and  under 1 . 89 

2-8|x5-8  and  under 1 . 40 

2-8^x6-8  and  under 1 . 57 

2-8|x7-8  and  under 1 . 73 

2-8|x8-8  and  under 1 . 89 

3-0|x5~8  and  under 1 . 57 

3-Ojx6-8  and  under 1 . 73 

3-Ojx7-8  and  under 1 . 89 

3-0|x8-8  and  under 2 . 00 

3-6|x5-8  and  under 1 . 57 

3-6|x6-8  and  under 1 . 73 

3-6jx7-8  and  under 1 . 89 

3-6|x8-8  and  under 2 . 00 

4-2jx5-8  and  under 1 . 73 

4-2|x6-8  and  under 1 . 89 

4-2|x7-8  and  under 2 . 00 

4-2jx8-8  and  under 2 . 15 

4-8|x5-8  and  under 1 . 80 

4-8|x6-8  and  under 1 . 95 

4-8|x7-8  and  under 2 . 10 

4-8|x8-8  and  under 2 . 25 

5-0£x5-8  and  under 1 . 80 

5-0|x6-8  and  under 1 . 95 

5-0|x7-8  and  under 2 . 10 

5-0^x8-8  and  under 2 . 25 

6-0|x5-8  and  under 1 . 95 

6-0^x6-8  and  under 2 . 10 

7.-0 £x7-8  and  under 2 . 25 

o-Oifcx8-8  and  under 2 . 40 


Frame 
No  Pulleys 
Knock  Down 

$1.60 
1.89 
2.10 
2.25 
1.60 
1.89 
2.10 
2.25 
1.80 
2.10 
2.25 
2.42 
1.89 
2.10 
2.25 
2.42 
2.10 
2.25 
2.42 
2.63 
2.15 
2.34 
2.52 
2.70 
2.15 
2.34 
2.52 
2.70 
2.34 
2.52 
2.70 
2.89 


Frame 
No  Pulleys 
Knock  Down 

$2.10 
2.31 
2.52 
2.75 
2.10 
2.31 
2.52 
2.75 
2.21 
2.42 
2.63 
2.84 
2.21 
2.42 
2.63 
2.84 
2.52 
2.75 
3.00 
3.21 
2.63 
2.84 
3.10 
3.30 
2.63 
2.84 
3.10 
3.30 
2.84 
3.10 
3.30 
3.52 


198 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


PULLEYS: — Aftove  prices  do  not  include  pulleys,  pulley  holes' 
or  pockets.  If  plain  pulleys  are  wanted  with  pulley  holes 
<and  pockets  add  25c  to  each  frame. 

Moulded  cap  frames,  add  to  price  of  plain  drip  cap,  each 
frame,  20c. 

For  Iix4|  outside  casings,  add  to  each  frame  15c. 

For  nailing  frames  together  add  extra  each  frame  25c  at 
mill:  On  building,  50e  for  frame  building;  65c  for  box 
frames. 

For  frames  made  for  sash  If  thick  add  15c  each. 

INSIDE   DOOR  JAMBS 

Inside  door  jambs  are  furnished  knock  down  in  the  white; 
carefully  bundled  for  shipments.  The  jambs  are  £x5£"  with 
sides  dadoed  for  head.  Prices  do  not  include  stops. 

PRICES  OF  INSIDE  DOOR  JAMBS. 


Size           Width 

Clear  YP 

ll 

>-  — 
gg 
oS 

Jlo 

O  O-u 

||l 

Clear 
QWOak 

2-  6x6-8  and  smaller  

$0.60 

$0.95 

$0.84 

$0.70 

$0.50 

$1.63 

2-  6x7-8  and  smaller  

.63 

1.05 

.94 

.75 

.55 

1.83 

2-10x6-8  and  smaller  

.60 

.95 

.84 

.70 

.50 

1.63 

2-10x7-8  and  smaller  

.63 

1.05 

.94 

.75 

.55 

1.83 

2-10x8-8  and  smaller  

.70 

1.15 

1.05 

.80 

.58 

1.93 

3-10x6-8  and  smaller  

.60 

1.10 

.90 

.75 

.52 

1.70 

3-10x7-8  and  smaller  

.70 

1.15 

1.05 

.80 

.58 

1.93 

3-10x8-8  and  smaller  

.73 

1.25 

1.15 

.84 

.63 

2.11 

4-10x6-8  and  smaller  

.63 

1.05 

.94 

.75 

.55 

1.83 

4-10x7-8  and  smaller  

.73 

1.15 

1.10 

.80 

.60 

2.00 

4-10x8-8  and  smaller  

.77 

1.26 

1.20 

.90 

.65 

2.21 

5-10x6-8  and  smaller  

.70 

1.15 

1.05 

.80 

.58 

1.93 

5-10x7-8  and  smaller  

.73 

1.26 

1.15 

.84 

.63 

2.11 

5-10x8-8  and  smaller.  .  .  . 

.80 

1.36 

1.30 

.90 

.69 

2.31 

6-10x6-8  and  smaller.  .  .  . 

.73 

1.15 

1.10 

.80 

.60 

2.00 

6-10x7-8  and  smaller.  .  .  . 

.77 

1.26 

1.20 

.90 

.65 

2.21 

6-10x8-8  and  smaller  

.84 

1.40 

1.36 

1.00 

.70 

2.42 

7-10x6-8  and  smaller  

.73 

1.26 

.15 

.84 

.63 

2.11 

7-10x7-8  and  smaller.  .  .  . 

.80 

1.36 

.30 

.90 

.67 

2.31 

7-10x8-8  and  smaller  

.90 

1.47 

.40 

1.05 

.73 

2.52 

8-10x7-8  and  smaller  

.84 

1.40 

.36 

1.00 

.70 

2.42 

8-10x8-8  and  smaller  

.94 

1.50 

.47 

1.10 

.75 

2.57 

8-10x9-8  and  smaller  

.96 

1.60 

1.57 

1.15 

.80 

2.75 

MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


199 


For  plain  white  oak  jambs  add  to  plain  red  oak  prices  10%. 

For  quartered  red  oak  jambs  deduct  for  quartered  white 
oak  prices  25%, 

For  jambs  made  IV'  wide  add  to  above  prices  33£%. 

For  jambs  made  1£"   thick  add  to  above  prices   66§%. 

For  jambs  made  If"  thick  add  to  above  prices  100%. 

Stock  is  only  yp  and  plain  red  oak  jambs  £x5£  wide.     All 
other  jambs  are  special.     For  transom  head  jambs  add  for 
bar  40c.     Take  price  of  jamb  required  to  make  opening  height 
plus  2"  for  bar. 
Example:    Door  3-0x7-0 


Transom 


3-0x1-2 
2 

84 


Take  price  inside  door  jamb 
size,  3-10x8-8  and  add 
40c  for  bar 


CASING,  HOOK  STRIP, 

BASE    AND    MOULDINGS— STANDARD    PATTERNS 
NET  PRICES  PER  100  LF 


Size 

AH 
fe! 
h 

a 

'S^j 

3 

r 

2 

| 

« 

u 

4 

111 

*&& 

|ls 

|o 

O^ 

a 

Size  - 

$x?J 

$1  05 

$206 

$1.78 

$1.59 

$1  05 

$4  10 

Size  ' 

-2r7J 

320 

600 

5.26 

4.35 

300 

11  99 

Size  - 

HH5J 

240 

475 

3.78 

3.15 

230 

900 

Size 

+  Y    1 

30 

73 

.63 

.57 

40 

1  50 

Size  j 
Size 

$a. 

£y  jj 



3.20 
30 

6.00 
73 

5.26 
.63 

4  .35 
.57 

3.00 
40 

11.90 
1.50 

Size 

Jylj 

80 

1  50 

1.40 

1.10 

.80 

3.00 

Size  • 

r£V7J 

k. 

3  20 

600 

5.26 

4.35 

300 

11.90 

Size  - 

-jjx4J 

k.. 

1  84 

355 

3.00 

2.63 

1.80 

7.10 

Size  i 

^Y4> 

f  

200 

395 

3.36 

294 

2.00 

7.90 

Size  i 

rjfa-fi 

273 

530 

4.63 

3  90 

2.60 

9.75 

Size 

fx33 



1.60 

3.00 

2.80 

2.40 

1.60 

6.00 

Stock  is  only  yp  and  plain  red  oak.  All  other  woods  are 
special  and  take  longer  to  ship. 

For  plain  white  oak  add  to  plain  red  oak  prices  10%. 

For  quartered  red  oak  deduct  from  quartered  white  oak 
prices  25%. 

Cut  lengths  or  specified  lengths  add  10%  extra. 


200 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 
WINDOW  STOOLS,   PER  100' 


a 

~ 

j 

So 

I 

ert   ^ 

~  a 
* 

3 

0 

KM 

03 

Ji 

o 

I 

0 

O 

Of 

Hx3  £ 

$2  36 

$4  95 

$4  21 

$3  68 

$2  52 

«q  on 

lfx4f 

2  66 

5  68 

4  70 

4  10 

2  84 

11  25 

PLATE  RAIL:— 3  membered,  3$"  level,  4£  upright  pcs,  5c  in 
yp;  8c  in  red  oak  per  ft. 

QUARTER  ROUND:— Size  f,  yp,  40c  per  100;   red  oak,  80c; 
i,  42c  and  85c. 

PICTURE  MOULD:— In  yp  Ic;  red  oak,  2c  per  ft. 


DOOR  AND  WINDOW  STOPS  PER  100' 


1 

Is* 

o 

oSCL( 

PMO 

sSfQ 

c3  * 

oj| 

rt^ 

~K* 

£P-i 

JJ  ft 

O  "*" 

i 

°0 

-2«S  o 

<3 

*x2 

$060 

$1  60 

$1  20 

$1  10 

$080 

$3  00 

*xl£.. 

.48 

1.20 

1.12 

88 

64 

2  40 

Axlg  

.36 

.90 

.84 

66 

48 

1  80 

.30 

.80 

.70 

.55 

.40 

1.50 

CAP  TRIM  PER  100' 


.a 

,  a 

Las 

0 

c3  PH 

PMO 

c3cq 

c£  iu 

O  ^i  *:IB 

Jp* 

Size 

s^ 

i* 

^ 

.S  a 

8Ss 

1 

0 

o1" 

o* 

x2A 

$2.11 

$4  10 

$3.80 

$300 

$200 

$821 

£x4A 

2.00 

3  75 

3.50 

2.75 

1  90 

750 

xl 

.35 

84 

.80 

.33 

.44 

1  72 

X21 

1.68 

3  15 

2.90 

2.27 

1.57 

625 

|X2| 

1  78 

4  00 

3  36 

2  63 

1  83 

7  20 

^x5J 

2  26 

5  00 

4  20 

3  30 

2  26 

9  00 

x  J.. 

1  20 

1  30 

1  30 

1  30 

1  30 

1  50 

2.10 

2.75 

2.75 

2.75 

2.75 

3.00 

MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


201 


PLAIN  BASE  AND  CORNER  BLOCKS 


Carried  4J  and 
5  wide 

FM 

>* 

a 

*3O 

pjw 

pq 

I 

Quartered 
WO 

l*xlO  
l|xlO  

$0.04£ 
.04* 

$0.08 
08 

$0.10 
10 

$0.06 
06 

$0.15 
15 

1|  thick  

.02? 

.05 

06 

04 

07$ 

li  thick  

.02^ 

.05 

.06 

.04 

.07* 

PLAIN  COLONIAL  PORCH  COLS:—  Built  up  plain  cap  and 
base  cols,  6"  diam,  30  to  40c  per  If;  8",  6',  33  to  56;  8",  10',  27 
to  42c;  10",  10',  36  to  51c.  With  carved  wood  caps  add  about 
$1.40  each. 

WITH  COMPOSITION  CAPS  add  from  $1.50  to  $3.00  for  aver 
work.  Some  styles  and  sizes  run  to  $6  and  $12. 


LARGE    SPECIAL    PORCH    COLUMNS 


Ha 


12 
12 
12 
12 
12 
16 
16 
16 
16 
16 
16 
16 
18 
18 
18 
18 
18 
20 
20 
20 
22 
22 
22 


_T5  fl 


- 


3 


«J 

¥ 

CQ 

l|| 

cs  cvtsPQ 
«J 

||| 

.9      <~H 

aal 

8 

$5.32 

$6.82 

$7.97 

$6.47 

$7.82 

$9.32 

9 

5.95 

7.45 

8.60 

7.10 

8.45 

9.95 

10 

6.78 

8.28 

9.38 

7.93 

9.28 

10.78 

12 

8.48 

10.48 

11.63 

9.63 

10.98 

12.98 

14 

11.45 

13.95 

15.10 

12.60 

13.95 

16.45 

8 

13.70 

14.80 

17.80 

16.70 

17.70 

18.80 

10 

14.55 

15.80 

18.80 

17.55 

18.55 

19.80 

12 

16.25 

17.65 

20.65 

19.25 

20.25 

21.65 

14 

18.45 

20.00 

23.00 

21.45 

22.45 

24.00 

16 

20.90 

22.65 

25.65 

23.90 

24.90 

26.65 

18 

23.60 

25.60 

28.60 

26.60 

27.60 

29.60 

20 

26.50 

28.80 

31.80 

29.50 

30.00 

32.80 

12 

22.00 

24.00 

28.00 

26.00 

27.50 

29.50 

14 

24.00 

26.25 

29.25 

28.00 

30.00 

31.75 

16 

26.50 

28.10 

32.10 

30.50 

32.00 

34.60 

18 

29.25 

32.25 

36.25 

33.25 

34.75 

37.75 

20 

32.25 

35.75 

39.75 

36.25 

37.75 

41.25 

16 

33.00 

36.50 

41.50 

38.00 

40.00 

43.50 

18 

35.20 

39.20 

44.20 

41.20 

42.20 

46.20 

20 

38.00 

42.50 

47.50 

43.00 

45.00 

49.50 

16 

41.50 

46.00 

52.50 

46.50 

50.70 

55.20 

18 

44.10 

49.10 

55.60 

48.10 

53.30 

58.30 

20 

47.60 

53.10 

59.60 

52.60 

56.80 

62.33 

THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Large  Special  Porch  Columns— Continued 

*+*  ^  *^N ^  ^  d  ^  fl  ^  ^  C^  ^ 


If 

na% 

ll« 

fi 

V 

Iff  Jlf  Jl1  llf 

24 

18 

47. 

75 

53. 

25 

59. 

75 

53 

25 

59.25 

64.75 

24 

20 

51. 

50 

57 

50 

64. 

00 

58 

.00 

63.00 

69.00 

24 

22 

55. 

50 

62, 

00 

68. 

50 

62 

.00 

67.00 

73.50 

24 

24 

60. 

10 

67 

.10 

73 

60 

66 

.60 

71.60 

78.60 

26 

20 

57. 

50 

64 

50 

73. 

50 

66 

.50 

72.00 

79.00 

26 

22 

61. 

60 

69 

,10 

78, 

10 

70 

.60 

76.10 

83.60 

26 

24 

66. 

50 

74 

,50 

83. 

50 

75 

.50 

81.00 

89.00 

28 

24 

74. 

50 

82, 

,50 

92 

50 

84 

.50 

93.50 

101.50 

28 

26 

80. 

15 

.88 

,65 

98, 

65 

89 

.15 

99.15 

107.65 

28 

28 

86.50 

95 

50 

105. 

50 

95 

,50 

105.50 

115.00 

30 

26 

90. 

50 

95 

.50 

110 

,50 

101 

.50 

115.00 

124.00 

30 

30 

101. 

60 

111 

,60 

122, 

60 

112 

.60 

126.10 

136.10 

:PEDESTAL  COLONIALS: — From  50c  to  85c  per  If,  plain. 

:SOLID  BORED    COLONIALS    AND    NEWELS:— 25c    to  41c, 

plain. 

:PORCH  RAIL:— T-op  :2ix3$,  9c;    bottom,  Ifx3$,  4c.     Smaller 

top,  IfxSi,  4c. 

PORCH  BALUSTERS: — Size,  2J  sq  x  24,  9c  turned;  If  sq,  5c. 

,Sq  Ifxl|x24,  3c. 

PANTRY  DRAWER  CASES:— In  yp,  not  oiled,  40c  per  sq  ft, 

,and  55c  in  red  oak. 

'CHINA  CLOSETS: — Drawers  below,  glazed  doors  above,  no 

'hardware  or  oiling,  75c  in  yp  and  $1  in  red  oak  per  sq  ft. 

STAIRS  NOT  SET 

Plain  oak  or  birch,  no  paneling  under,  3  to  4'  wide,  no  rough 
••carriages,  $70. 

In  q  s  Red>Oak $80.00 

In  q  s  White  Oak 90.00 

In  yp 60.00 

For  a  fairly  ^ood  stair  that  figure  is  enough.  If  soffits 
or  walls  are  paneled,  rails  with  crooks  and  newels  of  better 
than  ordinary  design  an  extra  allowance  must  be  made. 

A  stair  with  newels,  walls,  soffits,  etc,  paneled,  runs  in  yp 
'to  $210;  and  in  q  s  white  oak  .to  $260.  T4*e  .above  figures  do 
mot  include  ^w.ork  Of  -painter. 


MILLWORK     AND     GLASS 


203 


PARLOR  COLS:— In  red  oak,  from  $7  to  $8  each.     Fluted  $1 
•extra.     About  T  6"  high. 

HARDWOOD   FLOORING 


LENGTHS        2  FT  16  FT 

3! 

x  a 

* 

i'i 

1 

EN 

$1 

|a 

32 

Clear  Maple  Flooring.  .  .  . 
-Select  No.  1  Maple  Floor- 
ing   

$30.00 

$37.50 
31.00 
48.00 
34.00 
65.00 
67.00 

$46.25 
39.00 
60.00 

93.50 

$47.50 
41.00 
65.00 

95.00 
100.00 

$50.00 
44.00 
62.00 
48.00 
95.00 
100.00 

70.00 
160.00 

$50.00 
44.00 
62.00 
48.00 
95.00 
100.00 

70.00 
160.00 

'Clear  Plain  Red  or  White 
Oak  Flooring  

45.50 
32.00 
63.00 
65.00 

Select  No.  1  Red  or  White 
Oak  Flooring  

Clear  Quarter  Sawed  Red 
Oak  Flooring  

•Clear  Quarter  Sawed.  .  .  . 
White  Oak  Flooring.  .  . 
^Select  Quarter  Sawed  Red 
or  White  Oak  Flooring 
Cherry  

ioo.66 

ios.oo 

Strictly  clear  maple  $12   extra.. 

The  supply  of  hardwood  is  being  rapidly  diminished.     On 
these  and  all  hardwood  prices  a  gradual  rise  will  take  place. 
HARDWOOD   LUMBER 


Priced  Rough 
or  Surfaced 

Pi 
H 

•!°o 

££* 

.s-g 

<3  t 

S3 

1 

I 

s 

"d 

P 

OP 

1  x  4  8'to  16' 

$48.00 

$72.00 

$46.00 

$61.00 

$42.00 

$94.00 

x  6  8  to  16' 

52.00 

76.00 

57.00 

72.00 

45.00 

117.00 

x  8  8  to  16' 

52.00 

79.00 

60.00 

75.00 

57.00 

132.00 

xlO  8  to  16' 

55.20 

87.00 

72.00 

79.00 

61.00 

169.00 

x!2  8  to  16' 

57.60 

94.00 

76.00 

82.00 

64.00 

229.00 

x!4  8  to  16' 

60.80 

97.00 

87.00 

87.00 

72.00 

229.00 

l£x  4  8  to  16' 

56.00 

75.00 

49.00 

64.00 

49.00 

94.00 

x  6  8  to  16' 

56.00 

82.00 

62.00 

76.00 

62.00 

120.00 

x  8  8  to  16' 

56.00 

87.00 

64.00 

79.00 

67.00 

136.00 

xlO  8  to  16f 

56,00 

102.00 

72.00 

87.00 

72.00 

229.00 

x!2  8  to  16' 

59.20 

102.00 

72.00 

87.00 

76.00 

229.00 

l£x  4  8  to  16' 

57.60 

82.00 

62.00 

76.00 

62.00 

120.00 

x  6  8  to  16' 

57.60 

87.00 

64.00 

79.00 

67.00 

136.00 

x  8  8  to  16' 

57.60 

102.00 

72.00 

87.00 

72.00 

229.00 

xlO  8  to  16' 

57.60 

102.00 

72.00 

87.00 

76.00 

229.00 

If  less  than  500  ft  and  more  than  250  ft  add  $5.00  per  M. 
If  less  than  250  ft  add  $10.00  per  M. 


204  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

MAHOGANY: — This  wood  is  too  expensive  to  be  much  used 
in  ordinary  buildings.  At  New  York,  fob,  cars,  or  ship,  the 
aver  cost  per  1,000'  bm,  is: 

$120  for  Cuba. 

$150  for  Mexican. 

$200  for  San  Domingo. 

$250  for  East  Indian. 

This  is  for  rough  lumber. 

GRADING  OF  OAK  FLOORING. 

In  1911  the  manufacturers  concluded  to  change  the  names 
of  the  grades  on  account  of  misunderstanding  among  con- 
tractors. The  names  were,  Clear,  Sappy  Clear,  Select,  No. 
1  Common  and  Factory.  Select  and  Clear  were  often  con- 
fused. The  new  names  are: 
Quarter  Sawed — 

A  Grade. 

Sap  Clear. 
Plain  Sawed — 

A  Grade. 

B  Grade. 

Common. 

Factory. 
Under  the  rules  each  bundle  is  stamped  with  the  grade. 


CHAPTER  XII 

GLASS 

About  a  dozen  yrs  ago  all  glass  in  good  buildings  was  put 
in  by  the  painter;  now  the  planing  mills  have  monopolized 
most  of  the  business.  They  usually  do  'it  cheaper,  for  they 
buy  their  glass  by  the  car-load,  and  they  have  boys  who  do 
their  work  so  fast  that  the  ordinary  painter  has  to  stand 
aside  and  watch.  But  about  20,000  lights  of  10x14  for  No.  7 
and  other  buildings  were  put  in  by  a  local  glazier  at  l£c  each 
— and  the  millmen  put  in  about  as  many  more  on  the  same 
plant. 

It  is  the  less  necessary  to  give  prices  here  as  they  are  in- 
cluded in  millwork.  Only  a  few  selected  sizes  are  priced  as 
a  basis  of  estimating  when  not  within  reach  of  the  lists  which 
are  furnished  by  the  dealers.  Here  it  is  well  to  caution  the 
estimator  about  the  discounts.  A  discount  of  50,  10  and  5, 
for  example,  does  not  equal  65,  but  only  57|.  First  deduct 
50%,  then  10%  of  the  result,  and  finally  5%  of  the  last  figure. 
Thus  if  the  list  price  is  $100  a  discount  of  50%  leave  $50; 
10%  of  that  is  $5  to  be  deducted,  leaving  $45;  5%  of  that  is 
$2.25  which  deducted  leaves  the  real  price  $42.75.  It  is  not 
only  in  glass  where  this  holds,  but  in  every  kind  of  material 
with  more  than  1  discount.  A  large  Chicago  house  recently 
had  to  warn  its  customers  against  this  wrong  idea  which 
seems  to  be  prevalent. 

DISCOUNTS: — The  glass  discounts  now  (1913)  are  on  com- 
mon glass  88  unset;  on  plate  glass,  all  sizes,  89,  also  unset. 
Get  latest  list  from  local  dealer.  The  quality  estimated  is 
usually  A— not  AA  or  B.  (See  "Sash"  in  Chap  XI.)  For 
fewer  than  3  lights  of  plate  boxing  is  charged  at  6c  per  sq  ft. 

PRICES: — The  price  of  a  large  order  is  naturally  cut — for 
ordinary  purposes  the  following  prices  are  unset  at  90%  dis- 
count from  list  for  common;  and  plate  80:  75  and- 10. 

205 


206 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Size         S  S 
10x14     6.5c 
12x18  10.9 
12x48  43.8 
16x36  40.7 
16x60 
20x72 


D  S  Size  D  S 
9.8c  24x48  $1.42 
16.1  30x36  1.17 
55.8  36x36  1.42 
54.5  42x72  5.52 
1.09  48x80  7.59 


Plate 

6x  6  $  .07 
lOx  24  .48 
lOx  72  2.70 

8x120  4.88 
24x  24  1.35 


Plate 

36x170  $30.40 
48x  48  10.40 
48x144  34.60 
48x218  80.00 
60x  96  32.60 


1.88  60x70  7.59  24x  84  9.10  72x138  49.60 
28x168  22.20  84x138  190.60 
36x  72  11.70  120x218  454.20 


Leaded  ds  glass,  no  color;  price  from  40  to  80c  per  sq  ft. 
Leaded  beveled  plate:  from  $1.50  to  $3  per  sq  ft.     If  set  in 
copper  instead  of  lead  add  45c  per  sq  ft. 


Sand-blast :  20  to  70c 

Wheel-cut:  75c. 

Chipped:      single-process,     15c; 

dbl,  17c. 

Maze:  |,  13c;  3-16,  18c. 
Enameled:   clear,  15c;   obscure, 

17c. 
Ground:  14c. 


Venetian:  £,  15c;  3-16,  17c 
Cathedral:  12c. 

Opalescent:  20c. 

Ribbed  for  skylights:  9  to  12c  ±" 

Wire:  20  to  23c;  polished  wire, 

$1  to  $1.50. 
Sidewalk:  20c  and  up. 


MIRRORS: — The  cost  of  a  few  sizes  is  given.     Beveled  plate, 
no  frame: 

20x24 $2.75 

18x30 3 .00 

24x36 6.15 

36x36 8 . 55 

24x48..  .8.80 


PUTTY  AND  SETTING:— The  10x14  lights  in  No.  7  were 
bedded  and  set  for  l^c  each,  but  no  material  was  furnished. 
Allow  about  Ifc  per  sq  ft  as  an  aver  for  a  reasonable  number 
of  lights.  Allow  1-25  Ib  of  putty  per  If  around  edge  of  glass. 
The  20,000  lights  of  No.  7  took  2,800  Ibs.  With  80,000  If,  this 
is  1-28  Ib.  A  smaller  lot — only  345  If — took  1-23  Ib.  Amount 
varies  with  depth  of  rabbet,  bedding,  etc.  Thus  on  1,900 
lights  10x14,  565  Ibs  were  used,  or  nearly  twice  as  much. 
The  putty  might  not  be  properly  pressed;  the  rabbet  was  a. 
trifle  deeper.  Large  lights  require  more  glaziers'  points  than 
small— allow  1  to  every  6  to  9  inch. 


GLASS  207 

On  10,000  sq  ft  of  galv  iron  skylight  2,400  Ibs  of  putty  were 
used. 

Plate  glass  costs  about  10%  of  price  for  setting.  Skylight, 
glass,  8c  per  sq  ft.  Floor  and  sidewalk,  5c  per  sq  ft. 
WEIGHT: — Common  glass,  ss,  1.25  Ibs  to  sq  ft;  ds,  1.6;  plate,, 
3£  Ibs,  but  weight  of  all  glass  varies.  Some  lights  of  plate  011 
No.  9  were  only  half  as  heavy  as  others.  To  get  weight  of 
plate  glass  box  mult  sq  ft  of  surf  by  10  and  the  result  is  in 
Ibs.  The  complete  work,  including  steel  framework  of  sky- 
light in  place  on  No.  7,  weighs  8  Ibs.  - 

The  following  weights  are  listed  for  roof  glass — the  thick- 
ness is  given  in  fractions  of  an  inch,  and  the  weight  in  Ibs: 
4,  2;  &,  2i;  i,  34;  f,  5;  4,  7;  f,  8*;  f,  10;  1  inch,  12. 

TRANSLUCENT  FABRIC:— A  substitute  for  skylight  glass* 
15c  sq  ft. 

SALVAGE:— For  plate  glass  90  and  20  from  list. 

PRISM  GLASS 

The  following  table  is  an  approximate  retail  price  list  of 
3-way  sheet  prisms  and  vault-light  construction,  set  complete: 

Per  sq  ft 

3  Way  Sheet  Prisms $0.30 

3  Way  Sheet  Prisms,  Wired 50 

3  Way  4"  or  5"  Tiles  Glazed,  in  Hard  Metal 80 

3  Way  4"  or  5"  Tiles  Glazed,  in  Hard  Metal,  Copper  Plated. .  .85 
3  Way  4"  or  5"  Tiles  Glazed,  in  Hard  Metal,  Solid  Copper. ...  1.00 
Vault  Light  Construction,  Galvanized,  3  Way  Lens  (plain).. .  1.50 

Vault  Light  Construction,  Galvanized,  3  Way  Prism 1.60 

Vault  Light  Construction,    Galvanized,    3  Way    Lens    (plain) 

Wired 1.90 

Vault-Light  Construction,  Galvanized  Prism  Wired.  . . 2.00 

LUXFER  PRISM:— Sheet  30c  sq  ft;  3-way,  3,5,0;  4x4  sidewalk, 

unset,  $1.     Set  complete,  from  $1.75  to  $3.75,  depending  upgn 

kind. 

ACTUAL:— For  40"x40"  lights,  unset,  $4;    12  lights  20"x22\ 

30c  each. 

The  following  table  of  Chicago  prices  saves  the  time  of 
figuring,  if  one  remembers  that  freight  has  to  be  allowed,  and{ 
that  dealers  ask  for  larger  prices,  especially  on  small  orders;- 


208 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


NET   PRICES   OF   COMMON   WINDOW   GLASS 


SIZES 

X 

o£ 

i-fl 

03 
l| 

Price  per  Box 
Single  Str'ngth 

|f 
I 

Price  per  Light 
Single  Str'ngth 

It 

^g 
G02 

8-s 

£3 

SIZES 

*& 

$* 

If 

*£ 
&$ 

'r-  t* 
ftM 

<*>£ 
.2  Hi 

•"  a 
^£ 

If 

Kg 

M 

o^ 
°n,o 
*Q 

Price  per  Light 
Single  Str'ngth 

It 

si 

O.02 

Is 

7x  9 

115 

$2.30 

S  .02* 

18x30 

14 

82.85 

$4.45 

$  .26 

$  .42 

8x10 

90 

2.30 

.  .  .  . 

.03} 

.  . 

18x32 

13 

2.85 

4.45 

.28 

.44 

8x12 

75 

2.30 

.  .  . 

.04 

. 

18x48 

8 

5.10 

.81 

8x14 

64 

2.30 

. 

.04$ 

.'. 

18x56 

7 

5.65 

1.03 

9x12 

67 

2.30 

. 

.04* 

!  '.  .'. 

20x20 

18 

2^85 

4.45 

!20 

.32 

9x14 

57 

2.30 

_ 

.05$ 

20x22 

16 

2.85 

4.45 

.23 

.36 

10x12 

60 

2.30 

.05 

20x24 

15 

2.85 

4.45 

.24 

.38 

10x14 

52 

2.30 

.05f 

20x26 

14 

2.85 

4.45 

.26 

.41 

10x16 

45 

2.40 

.07 

'.'.  .'. 

20x28 

13 

2.85 

4.45 

.28 

.44 

10x18 

40 

2.40 

. 

.08 

20x30 

12 

2.85 

4.45 

.30 

.48 

10x20 

36 

2.40 

•  08§ 

20x32 

11 

2.94 

4.55 

.34 

.53 

10x22 

33 

2.40 

.09* 

20x36 

10 

3.12 

4.70 

.40 

.54 

10x24 

30 

2.40 

.10 

22x22 

15 

2.85 

4.45 

.24 

.38 

10x26 

28 

2.52  .  ... 

.Hi 

22x24 

14 

2.85 

4.45 

.26 

.41 

10x28 

26 

2.52 

. 

.12$ 

.'.  '.  . 

22x26 

A3 

2.85 

4.45 

.28 

.44 

10x30 

24 

2.52 

.  .  . 

.13* 

.  .  '.  ! 

22x28 

12 

2.85 

4.45 

.30 

.48 

12x14 

43 

2.40 

. 

.07* 

22x30 

11 

2.94 

4.55 

.34 

.53 

12x16 

38 

2.40 

.  .  . 

.08 

'.  '. 

22x32 

10 

2.94 

4.55 

.38 

.58 

12x18 

34 

2.40 

. 

.09 

. 

22x36 

9 

3.12 

4.70 

.44 

.67 

12x20 

30 

2.40 

.10* 

24x24 

12 

2.85 

4.45 

.30 

.48 

12x24 

25 

2.52 

'.  '.'.  . 

.13 

.  !  '.  '. 

24x26 

12 

2.85 

4.45 

.31 

.49 

12x26 

23 

2.52 

.  .  .  . 

.14 

24x28 

11 

2.94 

4.55 

.34 

.53 

12x28 

22 

2.52 

. 

.15 

24x30 

10 

2.94 

4.55 

.38 

.58 

12x30 

20 

2.65 

.17 

24x32 

10 

3.12 

4.70 

.40 

.60 

12x32 

19 

2.65 

'  ]  '  ' 

.18 

.'.  .'. 

24x36 

9 

3.12 

4.70 

.44 

.67 

12x34 

18 

2.65 

.19 

24x40 

8 

3.35 

5.05 

.55 

.81 

12x36 

17 

2.65 

* 

.20 

26x26 

11 

2.94 

4.55 

.34 

.53 

12x40 

15 

2.70 

.23 

26x28 

10 

2.94 

4.55 

.40 

.60 

14x16 

32 

2.40 

. 

.10 

. 

26x30 

9 

3.12 

4.70 

.44 

.67 

14x18 

29 

2.40 

.11 

26x32 

9 

3.12 

4.70 

.45 

.68 

14x20 

26 

2.40 

'.  '.'.'. 

.12 

.'.  .'. 

26x34 

8 

3.12 

4.70 

.55 

.80 

14x22 
14x24 

24 
22 

2.52 
2.52 

•  ••• 

.13* 
.14* 

26x36 
26x38 

8 

7 

3.35 
3.35 

5.05 
5.05 

.56 
.63 

.81 
.92 

14x26 

20 

2.52 

.16 

26x40 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.64 

.93 

14x28 

19 

2.65 

.18 

28x28 

9 

3.12 

4.70 

.44 

.66 

14x30 

17 

2.65 

.20 

28x30 

9 

3.12 

4.70 

.45 

.67 

14x32 

16 

2.65 

.21 

28x32 

8 

3.12 

4.70 

.55 

.80 

14x34 

15 

2.65 

.23 

28x34 

8 

3.35 

5.05 

.56 

.81 

14x36 

14 

2.65 

.24 

28x36 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.63 

.92 

14x40 

13 

2.70 

.27 

28x38 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.64 

.93 

16x20 

23 

2.70 

$i!io 

.14 

$  23 

28x40 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.65 

.94 

16x24 

19 

2.70 

4.10 

.17 

28 

30x30 

8 

3.35 

5.05 

.55 

.81 

16x26 

17 

2.86 

4.45 

.20 

34 

30x32 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.63 

.92 

16x28 

16 

2.86 

4.45 

.21 

36 

30x34 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.64 

.93 

16x30 

15 

2.85 

4.45 

.24 

38 

30x36 

7 

3.35 

5.05 

.65 

.94 

16x40 

11 

4.70 

54 

30x40 

6 

5.05 

.65 

1.07 

16x44 

10 

4.70 

60 

30x44 

6 

5.52 

1.18 

18x20 

20 

2!70 

4.10 

'.22 

26 

30x48 

5 

!  !  ! 

5.52 

1.42 

18x22 

18 

2.85 

4.45 

.20 

32 

32x32 

7 

5.04 

.92 

18x24 

17 

2.85 

4.45 

.22 

34 

32x34 

7 

5.04 

.93 

18x26 

16 

2.85 

4.45 

.23 

36 

32x36 

6 

5.04 

1.07 

18x28 

14 

2.85 

4.45 

.26 

41 

32x40 

6 

... 

5.52 

1.18 

GLASS 


20<> 


Net  Prices  of  Common  Window  Glass — Continued 


«_  o 

g£ 

J! 

ita 

|| 

•S8 

81, 

P 

If 

iS 

rM 

J3 

w  a 

j.fl 

w 

JF^ 

w  a 

•3  $ 

i3  0 

SIZES 

Number 
Lights  in 

.H"5b 

Price  per  '. 
Single  Str 

•23 

SIZES 

Numbei 
Lights  in 

ft«2 

a 

Price  per  ' 
Single  Str 

.23 

32x44 

5 

$5.52 

$1.42 

40x46 

4 

$6.00 

$1.92 

32x48 

5 

5.52 

1.43 

40x48 

4 

6.00 

1.93 

34x40 

6 

5.52 

1.18 

40x50 

4 

6.00 

1.94 

34x44 

5 

5.52 

1.42 

44x44 

4 

6.60 

2,12 

34x48 

5 

5.64 

1.45 

44x46 

4 

6.60 

2.13 

36x36 

6 

5.52 

1.18 

44x48 

3 

6.75 

2.87 

36x40 

5 

5.52 

1.42 

44x50 

3 

6.75 

2.88 

36x44 

5 

5.52 

1.43 

46x48 

3 

6.75 

2.87 

36x48 

4 

5.64 

1.81 

48x48 

3 

7.90 

3.38 

40x40 

5 

5.52 

1.42 

48x50 

3 

7.90 

3.39 

40x44 

4 

5.64 

1.81 

50x56 

3 

9.60 

4.11 

CHAPTER  XIII 

STRUCTURAL   STEEL  AND    IRON 

MEASUREMENT: — The  rule  for  estimating  this  work  is  very 
simple:  It  is,  "Get  the  exact  weight  and  mult  by  the  exact 
price."  The  trouble  is  in  getting  both. 

CAST  IRON: — If  the  pattern  is  made  an  approx  figure  may 
be  had  by  mult  the  weight  of  new  wp  of  16;  of  old  wood  by 
17;  the  quotient  will  be  in  Ibs.  Or  another  and  better  way 
is  to  varnish  the  pattern,  put  in  a  tank  of  water,  get  the 
displacement  in  ci  and  mult  by  .26  for  the  weight  in  Ibs. 
Unfortunately  architects  have  not  yet  been  educated  to  the 
point  of  furnishing  patterns  with  their  specifications,  and  we 
have  to  follow  the  old  rules  of  measurement  which  are  not  so 
sure  as  the  dipping  process.  The  bases  and  capitals  of  cast 
iron  cols,  lugs,  straps,  horns,  bands,  swells,  and  all  odd  work 
have  to  be  measured  or  guessed  as  carefully  as  possible. 
we  have  only  a  few  cols  a  slight  error  does  not  count  so  much, 
but  with  100  it  is  different. 

And  this  brings  us  to  an  important  point  that  has  to  be 
considered.  Are  there  100  cols  or  only  2?  If  they  are  not 
of  stock  patterns  it  means  a  good  deal  of  difference  in  the 
price.  In  the  first  case  the  cost  of  the  special  pattern  is  di- 
vided among  100;  in  the  last,  between  2.  Here,  as  elsewhere, 
it  pays  to  use  stock  patterns.  (See  Chap  XXIV  on  Standard 
Sizes.)  Stock  shafts  are  carried  in  foundries,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, special  caps  and  bases  made  to  suit  design. 

PATTERN: — The  only  way  for  an  estimator  to  get  the  value 
of  a  pattern  is  to  take  off  the  lumber — wp  at  $80  per  M  in 
'Our  day — and  then  judge  the  amount  of  labor  that  is  neces- 
sary to  uaake  it.  Where  there  are  many  castings  this  is 
hardly  necessary  as  the  cost  is  divided. 

WEIGHTS: — The  weight  of  cast-iron  is  usually  put  at  450  Ibs 
to  the  cf,  or  a  trifle  more  th.an  ,26  per  ci.  This  is  I  Ib  added 

210 


STRUCTURAL     STEEL     AND     IRON  211 

to  1-100  lb  for  those  who  are  so  lazy  as  not  to  understand 
decimals.  At  a  distance  from  tables  the  rule  is  easily  re- 
membered: Get  the  ci  and  mult  by  .26  lb.  A  plate  44x68x|" 
weighs  583.44  Ibs.  By  using  .26  the  loss  is  only  a  little  more 
than  f  Ibs  to  450,  and  this  is  close  enough  for  estimating. 

A  column  12'  long,  10"  in  diam  outside,  with  1"  metal, 
weighs  1,059  Ibs  without  any  base  or  cap.  As  the  metal  is 
1"  thick  the  inside  size  is  8";  find  the  ci  in  a  col  of  10"  diam 
and  in  one  of  8";  subtract  the  difference  and  mult  by  .26. 
An  easily  remembered  rule  for  all  circles  is  that  they  are  to 
each  other  as  the  sq  of  their  diam.  Thus  2  cisterns  8  and 
9'  diam  hold  water  in  the  proportion  of  64  and  81;  a  pipe 
4'  diam  has  4  times  as  much  sectional  area  as  one  2'.  To  get 
the. area  of  a  circle  mult  the  sq  of  the  diam  by  .7854.  The  sq 
of  a  10"  col  is  100,  which  mult  by  .7854—78.54;  mult  by  144"— 
the  length — gives  11,309.76  ci.  The  sq  of  the  diam  of  8  is 
64,  mult  by  .7854=50,2656,  which  mult  by  144  gives  7238,246 
ci,  a  difference  of  4071.51  ci,  which  mult  by  .26=1,059  Ibs. 

The  foregoing  illustration  will  serve  for  odd  work:  the  fol- 
lowing table  will  save  the  trouble  of  figuring  regular  sizes. 
Cap  and  base  are  not  included.  Outside  diam  and  thickness 
of  metal  are  given  in  inches:  weight  per  ft  in  Ibs: 


WEIGHT  OF  COLUMNS 

Diam  Thickness  Weight  Diam  Thickness  Weight  Diam  Thickness  Weight 

6             \       26.95  8         li          82.71  11  1  98.03 

6             |       38.59  9           |          60.65  11  H  119.46 

6             I       43.96  9         1            78.40  11  1J  139.68 

6           1         49.01  9         H          94.94  11  If  158.68 

6  1J       53.76  9         l\        110.26  11  2  176.44 

7  I       45.96  9         If        124.36  12  1  107.51 
7           1         58.90  10         1            88.23  12  1J  131.41 

7  li       64.77  10         U        107.23  12  1J  154.10 

8  |       53.29  10         l\        124.99  12  1|  175.53 
8           1         68.64  10         1|        141.65  12  2  195.75 


212  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

WEIGHT  OF  SQUARE  CAST  IRON  COLS  IN  LBS  PER  LF 
(Birkmire) 


•9 

2a  + 
2b 

Thickness  of  Metal  in  In 

H 

H 

Vs 

1 

IX 

IK 

m 

1M         2 

*12 

18.6 

21.1 

23.3 

25.0 

26  A 

27.3 

28.1 

14 

22.5 

25.8 

28.7 

31.3 

33.4 

35.1 

37.5 

16 

26.4 

30.5 

34.2 

37.5 

40.4 

43.0 

46.9 

49.2 

50.0 

18 

30.3 

35.2 

39.7 

43.8 

47.4 

50.8 

56.3 

60.2     62.5 

20 

34.2 

39.8 

45.1 

50.0 

54.5 

58.6 

65.6 

71.1      75.0 

22 

38.1 

44.5 

50.6 

56.3 

61.5 

66.4 

75.0 

82.0 

87.5 

24 

42.0 

49.2 

56.1 

62.5 

68.5 

74.2 

84.4 

93.0 

100.0 

26 

45.9 

53.9 

61.5 

68.8 

75.6 

82.0 

93.8 

103.9    112.5 

28 

49.8 

58.6 

67.0 

75.0 

82.6 

89.8 

103.1 

114.8    125.0 

30 

53.7 

63.3 

72.5 

81.3 

89.6 

97.7 

112.5 

125.8 

137.5 

32 

57.6 

68.0 

77.9 

87.5 

96.7 

105.5 

121.9    136.7 

150.0 

34 

61.5 

72.7 

83.4 

93.8 

103.7 

113.3 

131.3 

147.7  !  162.5 

36 

65.4 

77.3 

88.9 

100.0 

110.7 

121.1 

140.6 

158.6  j  175.0 

38 

69.3 

82.0 

94.3 

106.3 

117.8 

128.9 

150.0 

169.5   187.5 

40 

73.2 

86.7 

99.8 

112.5 

124.8 

136.7 

159.4 

180.5   200.0 

42 

77.1 

91.4 

105.3 

118.8 

131.8 

144.5 

168.8 

191.4   212.5 

44 

81.0 

96.1 

110.8 

125.0 

138.8 

152.3 

178.1 

202.3  !  225.0 

46 

84.9 

100.8 

116.2 

131.3 

145.9 

160.2 

187.5 

213.3 

237.5 

48 

88.8 

105.5 

121.7 

137.5 

152.9 

168.0 

196.9    224.2 

250.0 

50 

92.8 

110.2 

127.2 

143.8 

159.9 

175.8 

206.3 

235.2 

262.5 

52 

96.7 

114.8 

132.6 

150.0 

167.0 

183.6 

215.6 

246.1 

275.0 

54 

100.6 

118.5 

138.1 

156.3 

174.0 

191.4 

225.0 

257.0 

287.5 

56 

104.5 

124.2 

143.6 

162.5 

181.0 

199.2 

234.4 

268.0 

300.0 

58 

108.4 

128.9 

149.0 

166.8 

188.1 

207.0 

243.8 

278.9  1  312.5 

60 

112.3 

133.6 

154.5 

175.0 

195.1 

214.9 

253.2 

289.8  1  325.0 

62 

116.2 

138.3 

160.0 

181.3 

202.1 

222.7 

262.5 

300.8 

337.5 

64 

120.1 

143.0 

165.4 

187.5 

209.2 

230.5 

271.9 

311.7 

350.0 

66 

124.0 

147.7 

170.9 

193.8 

216.2 

238.3 

281.3 

322.7 

362.5 

68 

127.9 

152.3 

176.4 

200.0 

223.2 

246.1 

290.6 

333.6 

375.0 

70 

131.8 

157.0 

181.8 

206.3 

230.3 

253.9 

300.0 

344.5 

387.5 

72 

135.7 

161.7 

187.3 

212.5 

237.3 

261.7 

309.4 

355.5 

400.0 

74 

139.6 

166.4 

192.8 

218.8 

244.3 

269.5 

318.8 

366.4 

412.5 

76 

143.5 

171.1 

198.3 

225.0 

251.3 

277.3 

328.1 

377.3 

425.0 

78 

147.4 

175.8 

203.7 

231.3 

258.4 

285.2 

337.5 

388.3 

437.5 

80 

151.3 

180.5 

207.2 

237.5 

265.4 

293.0 

346.9 

399.2  1  450.0 

*  A  and  b  =  either  side  (outside  measurement).     2a  +  2b  =  number, 
ance  has  been  made  in  above  table  for  corners  counted  twice. 


Allow- 


EXAMPLE:— What  is  the  weight  per  If  of  a  12"xl6"xl"  thick 
col? 


STRUCTURAL     STEEL     AND     IRON  213 

ANS :  — 2a  +  2b  =  24  -f  32  =  56.  Opposite  this  number, 
under  1  inch  thick  metal,  we  find  162.5,  which  is  weight  per 
If  in  Ibs  for  a  col  of  this  size. 

WRT  IRON:— The  weight  of  all  structural  iron  and  steel 
is  marked  on  plans,  so  that  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
getting  the  total.  The  weight  of  cast-iron  separators,  bolts, 
rosettes,  etc,  has  to  be  allowed  extra  for  I  beams.  Some  sepa- 
rators have  2  bolts;  others  only  1.  Beams  under  5"  have  sepa- 
rators f  thick;  6  to  15,  £;  20  to  24,  f.  Weight  is,  of  course, 
regulated  by  depth  and  spread  of  beams.  Get  ci  and  mult  by 
.26  Ib  if  tables  are  not  convenient. 

RIVETS: — After  getting  the  weights  of  the  structural  frame 
add  the  rivets,  according  to  the  number,  and  weight  as 
given  in  the  tables  of  the  steel  mill  books.  A  shorter  way  is 
to  allow  2%  of  aver  work  for  rivets,  when  exactness  is  not 
necessary. 

Diam  of  rivet  for  plates  less  than  \"  thick  =  twice 
the  thickness  of  the  plate. 

Diam  of  rivets  for  plates  \"  thick  and  upwards  =  once 
and  a  half  the  thickness  of  the  plate. 

Length  of  rivet  measured  before  clinching  =  the  thick 
ness  of  the  plate  -j-  2£  times  the  diam  of  the  rivet. 

WEIGHTS,  BRASS,  COPPER,  LEAD:— The  weight  of 
wrought  iron  is  480  Ibs  to  cf,  or  practically  .28;  while  steel 
is  490  Ibs.  Jones  &  Laughlin  give  .263  for  cast  iron;  .281  for 
wrt;  .283  for  cast  steel. 

Wrt  iron  and  steel  do  not  have  to  be  reduced  to  ci  so 
often  as  cast  iron,  because  table  of  sheet,  flat,  round,  sq  and 
all  shapes  are  ready  at  hand.  Some  find  it  convenient  to  re- 
member that  a  bar  of  iron  1"  sq,  3'  long  weighs  10  Ibs.  The 
weight  of  wrt  iron  mult  by  1.082  gives  brass;  1.444  copper; 
1.47  lead. 

THE  TWO  TONS:— It  is  a  hard  matter  for  a  building  con- 
tractor to  remember  that  the  weight  of  steel  rails  is  given 
by  the  yd— not  the  ft— and  that  the  gross  ton  of  2,240 
Ibs  is  used  instead  of  the  short  ton  of  2,000. 


214  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LABOR  SETTING  IRON  AND  STEEL 

Contractors  usually  allow  $5  per  ton  of  2,000  Ibs  to  set 
aver  work.  Sometimes  it  can  be  set  for  $3.50.  On  plain  work 
close  to  ground  $2.75  has  been  found  to  be  enough  on  100  tons. 
It  depends  upon  the  size  of  the  material,  height,  etc.  For 
store  fronts  $5  is  a  fair  figure.  The  fronts  of  Nos.  5  and  6 
were  set  for  about  this  price.  On  No.  2  with  70  tons  the  cost 
was  $4.50,  but  the  material  was  set  all  over  the  fireproof  build- 
ing and  clear  to  roof.  Wages  were  $1.50  for  common  laborers 
who  set  it  all.  Hand  derricks  were  used  in  both  illustrations. 
With  a  steam  derrick  such  work  can  be  done  for  about  $3.50. 
Both  cast  iron  and  steel  are  included  in  figures.  But  work 
done  in  a  basement  for  alterations,  or  in  the  upper  story  of 
an  occupied  building  at  night,  with  extra  pay,  might  run  up 
to  $50  per  ton.  Each  case  of  this  kind  differs. 

All  of  the  foregoing  work  was  set  with  common  labor — 
and  the  rules  of  the  union  do  not  permit  any  laborer  to 
handle  steel.  Of  course  the  aver  job  does  not  require 
structural  iron  workers,  but  where  they  are  used,  the  cost 
runs  higher,  although  they  handle  more  in  proportion  to  their 
number  than  laborers.  The  wage  is  now  40c  per  hour  for 
men  and  47|c  for  foremen.  On  all  large  steel  work  they  are 
cheaper  in  the  long  run  than  laborers;  but  it  seems  that  they 
ought  to  have  their  due  proportion  of  them  as  other  trades 
do.  Work  like  that  shown  on  No.  13  would  cost  more  if  set 
by  laborers  only  than  by  tradesmen. 

SHOP  BUILDINGS:— A  fair  figure  for  No.  13— which  shows 
the  framework  of  No.  7 — is  $8  per  ton  of  2,000  Ibs  to  set  and 
do  field  riveting.  It  was  done  for  $7. 

DRILLING  CONCRETE:— This  does  not  include  drilling 
holes  in  the  concrete  to  hold  rag-bolts.  Drilling  7  holes 
U"x29"  takes  2  laborers  1  day  of  9  hours  by  hand,  but  the 
state  of  the  concrete,  soft  or  hard,  has  to  be  considered.  Allow 
10  holes  at  23"  deep.  Some  contractors  build  in  wood  and  with- 
draw it  afterwards  for  bolts,  and  although  this  is  not  such 
an  accurate  method  for  centering  it  is  so  much  cheaper  that 
most  prefer  it.  Or  a  bolt  may  be  set  in  pipe  with  room  to 


STRUCTURAL     STEEL     AND     IRON  215 

move  far  enough  to  catch  the  holes.    If  a  template  is  used 
there  is  not  much  danger  of  missing  connections. 
Merely  for  a  rough  approximate  idea  the  following  figures 

are  useful: 

• 

WEIGHT   OF   STEEL   ON    HIGH    BUILDINGS 

On  buildings  up  to  11  stories  high,  an  approximate  weight 
of  steel  is  as  follows,  per  sq  ft  of  floor  area,  not  ground  area: 

Apartment  Houses  and  Hotels  with  Outside  Frames 14  Ibs 

Office  Buildings  as  above 23  Ibs 

Warehouses  as  above 28  Ibs 

Apartment  Houses  and  Houses  without  Outside  Frames 9  Ibs 

Office  Buildings  as  above.  e 15  Ibs 

Warehouses  as  above 18  Ibs 

WEIGHT  OF  STEEL  PER  SQ  FT  OF  GROUND  AREA 

Machine  and  Erecting  Shop, 25  Ibs     Car  Shops 10  lb& 

Blacksmith  Shop 10  Ibs     Paint  Shops 10  Ibs 

Foundries 20  Ibs 

WEIGHT  OF  STEEL  TRUSSES 

For  53' span 3. 5  tons  For  105' span 9.0  tons 

For  175'  span 10.3  tons  For  125'  span 22.0  tons 

For    80'  span 6.5  tons 

Steel  for  roof  trusses,  I  beams,  plate  girders,  etc,  is  not 
bought  by  detailed  parts,  but  in  a  lump  for  each  class  at  the 
works. 

Trusses  in  the  east  or  Chicago,  about  3.3c  per  Ib;  in  Omaha 
about  3.8c;  I  beams,  2.7  and  3c. 

RIVETS: — Approximately  there  are  10  field  rivets  to  the  ton. 
A  safe  figure  is  lOc  each.  An  air  riveter  on  straight  work 
rivets  about  400  to  500  in  a  day  of  8  hours.  This  includes 
moving  of  scaffolds.  The  Omaha  Auditorium,  however,  with 
500  tons  of  steel,  had  11,000  field  rivets,  or  22  to  the  ton. 

HEAVY  GIRDERS:— Something  has  to  be  allowed  for  dif- 
ferent classes  of  work.  On  No.  13  there  are  36  girders  3'  6" 
wide  x  22'  long.  The  setting  of  them  soon  counts  in  tonnage. 
With  these  were  other  heavy  girders,  in  all  about  2,100  If. 
But  with  train-sheds  where  light  sections  are  used  and  where 
there  are  more  changes  of  scaffolding  the  $8  price  would  run 


216  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  at  least  $10.  The  lightest  steel  on  No.  13  was  the  truss 
which  was  5  tons.  The  Omaha  Auditorium  trusses  are  10 
tons  each.  But  the  steel  on  this  huilding  took  at  least  $12, 
as  angle  work  of  gallery,  height  of  trusses,  extra  riveting,  etc, 
made  work  more  difficult.  *  x 

On  No.  13  the  steel  was  set  and  riveted  for  $6.50  but  wages 
were  lower  than  on  No.  14,  as  laborers  were  used  on  former. 
Building  is  also  lower.  About  i  of  total  was  required  for 
riveting.  The  time  on  both  buildings  includes  setting  der- 
ricks, scaffolding,  and  unloading  from  cars. 

HIGH  COSTS: — Before  leaving  the  erection  of  steel  it  is  bet- 
ter to  look  at  the  other  view,  for,  as  with  the  laying  of  brick, 
there  is  another.  No.  13  cost,  with  contractor's  profit,  $7; 
No.  14,  actual,  $6.50;  No.  8,  the  largest  building,  for  about 
800  tons,  $7.90;  at  the  outside  $10  should  be  enough.  In 
''Carpentry  and  Building,"  now  "Building  Age,"  there  is  an 
article  on  the  erection  of  structural  steel  on  high  buildings. 
The  article  complains  of  the  high  cost  of  building  in  New 
York  as  compared  with  other  cities,  and  says  that  with  the 
same  number  of  hours  per  day  and  the  same  rate  of  wages 
steel  erection  costs  from  2^  to  3  times  as  much  as  elsewhere. 
"•It  is  no  wonder  that  structural  erection  costs  $15  to  $18  a 
ton  in  this  city  as  compared  with  $6.50  to  $8  in  other  cen- 
ters of  building  activity.  A  hand  riveter  who  could  easily 
aver  from  250  to  300  rivets  a  day  contents  himself  in  this  city 
with  80.  In  other  cities  on  straight  work  a  good  man  fin- 
ishes up  80  an  hour.  The  pneumatic  riveter  in  almost  any 
other  city  will  drive  1,500  to  2,000  rivets  in  a  day  against  250 
to  300  in  New  York." 

AVERAGES: — "All  extremes  are  wrong."  Between  80  in  a 
day  and  80  in  an  hour,  or  640  in  a  day,  there  are  quite  a 
few  laps.  On  the  one  side  we  have  the  loafer  who  is  a  pest, 
on  the  other  hand  the  theorist  who  makes  us  yawn.  An  aver 
day's  work  at  shingling  may  be  found  elsewhere  in  this  book 
— there  are  men  who  do  several  times  as  much,  but  I  would 
not  allow  them  to  lay  a  shingle  on  a  house  I  meant  to  keep. 

RIVETING: — I  asked  a  man  who  has  passed  his  life  among 
steel  put  up  in  all  sorts  of  places  and  fashions,  "  Could  a 


STRUCTURAL     STEEL     AND     IRON  217 

pneumatic  riveter  finish  1,500  rivets  in  a  day  on  a  building?" 
"No,  it  could  not,"  he  answered;  "and  more  than  that,  it 
could  not  be  done  even  on  a  shop  floor  where  there  is  no 
climbing  among  scaffolding.  I  have  one  in  the  shop  and  I 
know  what  it  can  do.  A  good  aver  is  500  on  a  building." 

RIVETING: — After  getting  local  authority  I  was  handed  a 
report  of  Mr.  A.  B.  Manning  of  the  M.  K.  &  T.  R.  R.  to  the 
Annual  Convention  of  the  Railway  Superintendents  of  Bridges 
and  Buildings,  in  which  he  discussed  riveting: — "With  pneu- 
matic riveting  hammers  I  find  that  2  men  and  1  heater  can 
aver  in  10  hours  500  rivets,  whereas  by  hand  250  rivets — more 
often  less — was  a  good  day's  work  for  3  men  and  1  heater. 
One  day  we  drove  700  rivets  by  using  an  additional  man  to 
take  out  firing  up  bolts,  etc.  This  was  the  work  of  one  air 
hammer  only."  He  gives  the  cost  of  hand  riveting  at  3.68c 
per  rivet,  and  air  riveting  at  1.62c. 

MACHINE  RIVETING:— On  93,480  rivets  in  the  Chicago  ship- 
yards the  machine  rate  ran  from  1  to  2£c,  depending  upon 
size,  etc;  the  hand  rate,  from  2$  to  4J.  The  machine  aver 
was  1.5c  each;  hand,  3.19. 

In  Cramp's  shipyard  on  1,300,000  rivets  the  hand  price  for 
1"  was  7c;  machine,  3c;  for  f  by  hand,  5.5c;  by  air,  3c. 
Cramp  sets  machine  riveting  40%  cheaper  than  hand;  the 
Chicago  yard,  47%.  Small  work  can  not  be  done  at  anything 
like  the  same  rate;  and  of  course  latitude  counts  for  some- 
thing: the  London  &  Northwestern  Railway,  for  example,  re- 
ports 120  rivets  per  hour  per  riveter. 

LARGE  WORK: — The  importance  of  reliable  labor  time  is 
seen  when  we  consider  the  size  of  such  buildings  as  Nos.  7, 
8,  and  14 — all  150'  wide,  and  from  310  to  486'  long.  The  main 
building  of  the  Rock  Island  plant  at  East  Moline,  111.,  is 
276'-8"x860'.  In  "The  Engineering  News,"  New  York,  N.  Y., 
there  is  a  description  of  the  plant  and  a  summary  of  the 
amount  of  building  material.  Steel  is  2,400  tons;  and  cast- 
iron,  150.  The  U.  P.  and  O.  S.  L.  plants,  as  far  as  built,  have 
together  somewhat  less  than  this  tonnage.  It  is  important 
to  know  if  it  can  be  set  for  $7  or  whether  $12  is  required  as 
the  difference  amount  to  $12,000.  Other  items  in  the  R.  L 


218  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

total  are  22,000  bbls  Port  cement;  6,000,000  brick;  5,000,000 
ft  lumber;  64,000  sq  ft  factory  ribbed  glass;  4,200  sqs  roofing. 
A  labor  difference  of  $1  per  M  in  the  brick  makes  a  nice  little 
sum. 

The  Atchison,   Topeka    &   Santa    Fe    locomotive    shop    is 
154'x852';  the  "Reading",  204'x750'. 

SKYSCRAPER  RIVETING:— On  an  18-story  building  in  St. 
Louis  f"  rivets  cost  20  to  25c,  and  f",  13  to  17c,  on  col  and 
beam  work,  with  foremen's  wages  from  60  to  75c  per  hour. 

CRANES: — For  erecting  large  electric  cranes  allow  $3  per 
ton.  If  they  are  not  put  directly  in  place  from  the  cars  but 
have  to  be  unloaded,  $1.50  extra.  Much,  however,  depends 
upon  facilities; — 4  cranes  of  143  tons  have  been  recently  set 
for  $300. 

SHEET  STEEL: — To  lay  sheet  steel  over  large  surf,  2c  per 
sq  ft;  on  doors,  4c. 

TANKS: — A  common  way  of  estimating  the  complete  labor 
on  tanks — round  or  sq — is  to  allow  4c  per  rivet,  but  this  is  on 
the  basis  of  compressed  air.  A  tank  9'  diam  x  12  high  is 
worth  about  $200;  15'  diam  x  12,  $375.00  complete.  A  10,000 
gall  galv  tank,  $800;  2,500  galv,  $270,  with  equipment. 

PRICE: — At  present  the  price  of  steel  is  high;  a  few  years 
from  now  it  may  be  low.  On  cars,  Omaha,  it  is  $65  to  $70 
per  ton — but  a  good  deal  depends  upon  quantity.  Cast  iron 
is  now  worth  21/&  to  3%c  per  Ib.  Lintels  and  columns  2c  per 
Ib.  and  up;  sill  and  base  plates,  3c  and  up. 

MISCELLANEOUS 

PRISM  LIGHTS,  COAL  HOLE  COVERS:— Hyatt  or  Prismatic 
lights  are  worth  about  $1.50  per  sq  ft;  Luxfer  prisms  com- 
plete, $1.75  to  $3.75.  Sidewalk  or  concrete  lights  in  frame 
with  glass,  $1.75  to  $2.50.  Coal  hole  covers,  prismatic,  from 
$5  to  $10  each,  20"  to  24";  solid  $1.50  to  $4.  With  a  coal  hole 
cover  the  depth  and  weight  are  regulated  by  sidewalk;  some- 
times it  may  be  only  4",  and  again  with  a  heavy  brick  arch 
it  may  be  13.  (See  also  "Vault  Lights,"  Chap  XIIJ 
WICKETS:— For  ticket  windows,  from  $5.60  to  $25,  of  30 
designs  examined. 


STRUCTURAL     STEEL     AND     IRON  219 

WRT  IRON  GRATINGS:— 75c  per  «q  ft;  cast  iron,  3c 
per  lb,  or  45  to  50c  per  sq  ft. 

GAS  PIPE  RAIL: — In  place,   dbl,    75c    per    ft;     single    50c. 
Main    3x3   posts,    $3.50   to   $5   each.     "  Spike "   or   "  Loafers 
Rail,"  12  to  15c  per  ft. 
For  ordinary  36"  standards  allow: 

For  one  rail,  l\ $1.50 

For  one  rail,  2  2.00 

Corner  one  rail,  1$ 1 . 75 

Corner  one  rail,  2  2 . 25 

Tee,  2 2.50 

2-rail,  1£ 1.75 

2-rail  corner,  2 3 . 00 

Rail,  li,  per  ft 17 

Rail,  2,  per  ft 22 

FENCES  AND  SMALL  WRT  IRON  GATES:— Gates,  lOc  per 
lb.  Wrt  iron  fence  5  to  6c.  A  long  railing,  about  4'  high, 
f  sq  uprights,  6"  centers,  was  recently  set  in  place  for  $1.50.' 
per  running  ft. 

The  iron  work  of  1,000  ft  of  fence,  with  several  gates,  unset,, 
ran  to  $3.20  per  If;  set  $3.65.  About  8'  high,  f  sq  pickets, 
6"  centers.  Concrete  bases  every  8'. 

RAILROAD  FENCE: — A  hogtight  fence  costs  about  $300  per 
mile  of  track,  both  sides,  or  $150  for  one  side.  Material,  67%; 
labor  33. 

WRT  IRON  SHUTTERS:— Hinged,  45c.     Sliding,  60c  per  sq 

ft  in  place,  Omaha.     Allow  freight  at    8    Ibs    per    sq    ft    if 

required. 

ROLLING  STEEL  SHUTTERS:— These  are  50c  per  sq  ft  in 

place. 

VAULT  DOOR  LININGS:— From  $65  up;   620  to  830  Ibs  for 

aver. 

HOME  SAFES: — Many  brick  buildings  are  now  equipped  with 

small  safes  built  in  wall.    They  are  put  in  when  the  wall  is 

built.    To  cut  old  walls  and  put  them  in  allow  $8  to  $5  extra. 


220  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SIZE  AND  COST  OF  SAFES 

Size  Door  Inside  Dimensions 

No.  Diam  Wide  Deep  High  Weight  Price 

40  4i"  5£"  4f"  10i"  351bs.  $17,00 

41  4i"  6£"  1\"  6£"  401bs.  18.00 
43  4|"  10"  7£"  6"  521bs.  20.00 
68  6  "  11  *  7£"  8  "  75lbs.  25.00 
66  6"  14"  10"  9£"  160  Ibs.  30.00 

MOVING  A  SAFE: — In  New  York  for  twenty  years  a  Corliss 
safe  has  been  on  exhibition.  The  twin  came  to  Omaha.  The 
weight  is  17  tons.  It  was  moved  from  one  story  above 
street  level  in  1908  to  make  way  for  a  battery  of  8  safes  with 
more  space. 

It  took  20  men  7  days  to  cut  it  out,  shore  up  floors,  and  take 
down  to  street. 


PRICE  OF  ANCHORS  PER   LF  AT  6c  PER  LB. 

Take  extreme  length,   add  head,   if  a  T-anchor,   and  mult 
toy  price  per  ft. 

T-anchor  heads  are  figured  same  size  as  shank. 

Size  of  Iron                        Price  Per  Ft  Size  of  Iron                        Price  Per  Ft 

lixl  ......   .............  7.7c  3  xi  ....................  30.  6c 

2  xi  ....................  10.  2c  IJxf  .....................  11.  6c 

2ix}  ....................  12.  8c  2  xf  ....................  15.  3c 

2  JL\  ....................  20.  4c  2Jx|  ....................  19.  2c 

25.  5c 


Thus,  an  anchor  with  shank  3'  long,  a  head  1',  made  of 
2xi,  would  cost  82c.  The  6c  rate  includes  profit,  and  in  some 
sections  5c  is  enough. 

WRT  IRON:  —  Special  prices  are  given  on  patented 
hangers,  etc,  but  in  general  for  all  anchors,  stirrups,  heavy 
hinges,  and  such  work,  get  weight  and  mult  x  5£c  per  Ib. 
For  rods  4c. 

The  labor  on  aver  wrt  iron  work  is  l£c  per  Ib;    a  safe 
price  for  bar  iron  is  2c  per  Ib  fob  Omaha. 
DUPLEX  JOIST-HANGERS:—  For  2x6  to  2x10,  14c  each. 

2x12  to  2x16  ..................................  20c 

3  and  4x6  to  3  and  4x10  ........................  28c 

6x14  to  6x16  ..................................  65c 

8x8  to  8x12  ...................................  65c 


STRUCTURAL     STEEL     AND     IRON  221 

DUPLEX  WALL-HANGERS:— Are  about  50%  more. 
See  page  20  for  Duplex  Post  Caps  and  Bases. 

IRON  LADDERS: — 2"x£  sides,  f  sq  rungs,  set  for  90c  to  $1 
per  ft  high. 

FIRE  ESCAPES: — U  gas-pipe  rail  for  sides,  $1  per  ft  high 
set;  platforms  of  ordinary  width  and  length,  $2.50  per  If; 
21"  stairs  for  fire  escapes,  $4  per  ft  long  on  rake;  platforms, 
$4;  or  about  $125  per  story. 

STAIR: — A  large  iron  stair  3'  wide  for  fire  escape  on  No.  2 
cost  $502  for  3  stories.  For  2'-6"  fire  stairs  with  long  plat- 
forms, outside  pipe  supports  and  railings  on  both  sides,  allow 
$18  to  $20  per  ft  set  in  place  and  painted,  the  price  being 
taken  on  the  plumb  and  not  on  the  rake. 

When  taking  bids  on  No.  2  I  was  offered  a  spiral  chute  that 
had  been  installed  and  approved  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  and  is  now 
as  far  north  as  Boston  where  school  children  are  shot 
through  it. 

Of  course  there  are  many  varieties  of  fire  escapes  at  dif- 
ferent prices. 

STAIRS:— 3'  to  4'  wide,  with  iron  rail,  set  complete  $8  to 
$10  per  step. 

One  ornamental  iron  stair  in  the  east  cost  $36,000. 
COAL  CHUTES: — These  chutes  run  from  $10  to  $15.     They 
may  be  had  with  protected  glass  fronts. 

PORCH  COL  BASES: — These  are  to  keep  large  cols  up 
from  the  floor  and  allow  water  to  run  through. 

For  6"x6" 50c  each 

For  8"x8" 55c  each 

For  10"xlO" 70c  each 

For  12"xl2" 90c  each 

SAFETY   TREADS: — One   make  with   steel    base   plate   and 

lead  filling,  $1.25  per  sq  ft,  Chicago;   with  brass  base  plate, 

$2.25. 

MASON  safety  treads  $l.bU  per  sq  ft  on  wood — not  laid,  $1.40. 

The  cost  on  iron  or  stone  is  about  $1.75,  laid. 

STEEL  STUDS: — Wire  lath  is  otten  attached  to  prong  studs, 

ceiling,  and  wall  furring.     The  lath  is  laid  on  and  the  prong 


222  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

•clinched  over  it  with  the  tap  of  a  hammer.  A  solid  or  hol- 
low wall  is  then  plastered  on.  A  tee  stud  is  used  for  a  solid 
wall,  and  a  channel  for  a  hollow. 

The  solid  walls  are  If"  to  2"  thick. 

Separate  or  continuous  sockets  can  be  used  for  fastenings 
at  top  and  bottom. 

The  cost  of  the  material  is  as  follows: 

For  f"   tee  studs,   Ifc  per  ft  to  10'. 

For  2"  channel  studs,  2fc  per  ft  to  10'. 

For  3"  channel  studs,  3£c  per  ft  to  10'. 

Tee  stud  socket  strip  f",  2£c. 

Channel  socket  strip,  2",  3£c. 

Channel  socket  strip,  3",  4c. 

Ceiling  and  wall  furring,  £",  2£c. 

Allow  same  time  for  setting  studs  as  for  wood. 
STEEL  STACK: — The  cost  of  taking  down  a  corroded  stack 
is  given  in  Ryerson's  Journal. 

Size,  6'xlOO'.  Owing  to  surrounding  buildings  it  had  to 
be  erected  in  sections.  The  top  56'  was  taken  down. 

The  scaffold  took  1,400  ft  bm  of  chestnut  for  corners  at 
$20,  and  1,600  ft  hemlock  at  $19.  Only  5%  of  this  lumber 
was  destroyed,  and  the  rest  was  used  elsewhere.  The  tower 
of  scaffolding  was  Il'-6"x23'  at  base,  and  Il'-6"xl5'  at  top. 
An  I  beam  with  trolley  was  put  across  the  top,  and  cable  and 
windlass  with  air  motor. 

The  sections  were  cut  off  with  a  cold  chisel  and  lowered. 
It  required  3  minutes  to  lower  or  raise  a  section. 

To  put  up  derrick,  adjust  tackle,  arrange  I  beam  and  trol- 
ley, and  connect  motor,  26  hours.  Removal  and  cleaning 
up,  19  hours.  The  total  work  of  replacement  was  done  for 
$110.  Wages  from  $2  to  $2.75  per  man  per  day.  The  sec- 
tions were  bolted  together. 

See  also  Chap  XXII. 

STEEL  AND  IRON  COSTS  PER  LB: — Cover  plates,  4c;  con- 
nections, 4c;  face  plates,  |"xl8",  6c;  stairs,  6  to  7c;  wrought 
beams,  plain,  2|  to  2|c;  trusses,  3-Jc;  Dale  lights,  $2  per  sq 
ft;  cast  iron,  plain,  2^c;  separators,  4c;  large  cols.,  2|c;  all 
unset,  1913. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

HARDWARE 

CATALOG  WEALTH: — Simmons'  old  catalog  has  367  pages 
7^x11,  devoted  to  builders'  hardware — and  they  have  given  us 
a  new  one;  Spencer  &  Bartlett's  118  pages,  6x8;  and  Lee- 
Glass-Andreesen's  new  book,  which  is  a  credit  to  Omaha  and 
Nebraska,  has  240  pages  7Jxll.  These  are  only  3  out  of 
many.  They  are  all  packed  full  of  information  about  hard- 
ware, and  more  is  to  be  found  at  the  retail  stores.  And  we 
are  not  only  burdened  with  a  hundred  different  kinds  of 
hinges,  but  each  has  from  a  dozen  to  a  score  of  different  fin- 
ishes, and  it  is  seldom  that  1  price  covers  more  than  1  article. 
The  very  hardware  men,  who  are  specialists,  are  wearied  of 
the  endless  variety.  It  is  with  a  sense  of  relief  that  a  con- 
tractor reads  in  a  model  specification  that  shelf  hardware  is 
to  be  covered  by  a  certain  sum,  or  else  supplied  by  the  owner. 

QUANTITIES  OF  NAILS 

Wire  nails  are  now  used  almost  everywhere.  I  have  heard, 
however,  that  the  engineering  department  of  the  B.  &  M.  R.  R. 
still  clings  to  the  old  kind  which,  according  to  the  tests,  take 
a  firmer  bite. 

I  kept  an  account  of  nails  on  only  1  building — No.  10. 
There  it  took  1  keg  to  2,600  ft  of  lumber  of  all  kinds.  Prob- 
ably the  proportion  would  run  on  such  work  £  of  spikes  and  f  of 
8D  and  10D.  The  whole  building  is  frame,  although  the 
lower  story  is  veneered  with  brick;  with  less  spiking  a  brick 
building  would  require  a  larger  proportion  of  nails. 

If  any  one  desires  a  close  estimate  of  nails  he  may  easily 
find  it  as  the  following  table  gives  the  number  per  pound, 
but  different  tables  give  different  numbers.  There  are  so 
many  joists  or  studs;  each  board  requires  so  many  nails; 
5%  allowed  for  extras  and  waste  will  give  the  number  of  kegs 
at  100  Ibs  to  keg. 

To  illustrate  by  the  floor  of  No.  7:  There  are  320,  5i"  planks 
in  width,  and  101  sleepers  to  which  they  are  nailed;  but 

223 


224  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

plans  run  from  12  to  16'  long,  and  it  Is  therefore  safe  to 
allow  29  extra  nailings  clear  across  the  space,  because  each 
joint  requires  twice  the  number  of  spikes.  Each  plank  has 
2  spikes,  or  640  to  a  sleeper,  a  total  of  83,200,  with  5%  addi- 
tional, 87,360.  The  table  gives  for  60D  spikes,  12  to  Ib,  mak- 
ing a  total  of  73  kegs.  Or,  having  the  If  of  flooring,  allow 
1  nail,  or  2  nails,  as  the  case  may  be,  to  every  bearing. 

Matched  flooring  and  ceiling,  unless  wider  than  5£  or  thicker 
than  £  have  only  1  nail  to  each  bearing. 


NAIL  TABLE 

Of  course  the  number  of  nails  to  Ib  varies;  106,  74,  10,  are 
given  in  another  list  instead  of  132,  87,  12,  as  below. 

The  price  of  nails  changes  as  the  days  go  by.  At  present 
the  "  base  "  is  $2.50.  From  60D  to  20D  is  base.  Add  accord- 
ing to  table  for  other  kinds. 

WIRE  NAILS: — Size,  length,  number  to  pound,  and  rate: 

Size                      Kind  Length  In       No.  to  Lb   Advance  on  Rate  Base 

60  Common  6  12 

50  Common  5J  15 

40  Common  5  21 

30  Common  4$  27 

20  Common  4  35 

16  Common  3£  51                 $   .05 

12  Common  3£  66  .05 

10  Common  3  87  .05 

8  Common  2$  132  .10 

6  Common  2  252  .20 

.4  Common  \\  432  .30 

3  Common  \\  720  .45 

3  Fine  ij  1140  .50 
10  Casing  3  121  .15 

8  Casing  2\  170  .25 

6  Casing  2  310  .35 

4  Casing  1$  584  .50 
10  Finish  3  137  .25 

8  Finish  1\  190  .35 

6  Finish  2  350  .45 

4  Finish  1$  760  .65 

GALV  NAILS  cost  about  $1.25  extra  per  keg. 


HARDWARE 


225 


NAIL  ALLOWANCES 


Quantity 

Description 

Kind 

Quantity  in  Lbs 
Centers 
12"  16"  20"  36"   48"    60* 

1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 

1000'  bm 

1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 

1000  pcs 
1000  pcs 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  lin. 
1000'  lin 
1000  If 
1000  If 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000  pcs 
1000  pcs 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
100  sq  ft 
1000'  bm 
1000'  bm 
100  If 
1 
1 
100  yds 
100  yds 
100  yds 
100  cy 
100  cy 

1  fin   mr 

3"x6"  Plank,  2  nailings  .... 
3"x8"  Plank,  2  nailings  
3"xlO"  Plank,  2  nailings.  .  . 
3"xl2"  Plank,  3  nailings.  .  . 
2"x6"  Plank,  2  nailings.  .  .  . 
2"x8"  Plank,  2  nailings  
2"xlO"  Plank,  2  nailings... 
(Use  same  allowance  for 
Oak  Plank,  Bridges,  Boat 
Spikes,  allow  100  Ibs  
Joists  on  Frame  Bldg  

60d 
60 
60d 
60d 
20d 
20d 
20d  ; 
floorin 

|"x8" 
20d 
20d 
8d 
8d 
lOd 
20d 
lOd 
8d 
8d 
8d 
20d 
20d 
6d 
6d 
4d 
3d 
8d 
lOd 
8d 
lOd 
8d 

... 

... 

•  • 

51 
39 

31 
39 
27 
20 
16 

40 
30 
24 
30 
21 
16 
13 

34 
26 
20 
26 
18 
13 
11 

g)' 

51 
39 
30 

42 
31 
25 

20 
12 

16 
10 

14 

8 

Joists  on  Brick  Bldg  

For  Bracing,add  2£  Ibs  perM 
Bridging  l//x4"  35  Ibs 

Bridging  2"x4"  50  Ibs 

Studs,  Walls  and  Partitions 
Studs,  Walls  and  Partitions 
Sheeting  or  Shiplap,  8"  
Furring,  I"x2",  Wall 

15 

e 

26 
6 
8 

12 
4 
20 
6 

7 

17 
6 
6 
°0 

Furring,  l//x2".  Ceilings  
Furring,  2"x2",  Wall     .  .  . 

Furring,  2//x2"  Ceilings  
Siding  6"  

33 

I 

26 
26 
40 
36 
2i 
15 

25 
18 
25 

(any 

13 
20 
22 
32 
26 
Ibs 
11 
?0 

20 

Siding  4" 

Shingles 

cen 
11 

17 

ter) 

Shingles 

Flooring  £"x6" 

Flooring  £"x6" 

Flooring  £"x4" 

Flooring  ^"x4// 

Flooring  £"x3" 

Thin  Oak  Flooring  

li 

finis 

hug 

brda 

f  "x4"  Ceiling 

6d 

8d 
8&6d 
8&6d 
8&6d 
J"  sta 
3d  fine 
3d  fine 
20d 
lOd 

OJ 

Finishing 

Base 

1 

Door,  all  kinds 

I 

Window,  all  kinds 

Metal  Lath  

pie 

12 
104 

30 

^ 

s  9 
to 
to 

(ofc 

Wood  Lath  48"  

13 
Hi 
one 

9 

to 

10 

Wood  Lath  32" 

Concrete  Forms  
Concrete  Forms  

rete 

inw 

all) 

concrete  r  orms  

OU 

3 

Slate:    See  Chap.  XVI. 


226  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

If  it  is  necessary  to  change  from  one  size  of  nail  to  another 
see  how  many  Ibs  are  listed  in  above  table;  mult  by  number 
in  a  Ib,  and  divide  by  number  in  a  Ib  of  the  kind  desired. 
Thus  3"x6",  48"  centers,  requires  40  Ib  of  60d.  At  12  to  the 
Ib  this  equals  480  nails.  If  40d  are  chosen,  with  21  to  the 
Ib,  the  quantity  would  be  23  Ibs,  for  the  same  number  of  nails 
are  necessary. 

CEMENT  COATED  WIRE  NAILS,  CHICAGO  PRICE 


Size  No.  Coated  Nails  in  Keg     Price  per  Keg 

40  Cement  Coated,  1,800  $1.95 

30  Cement  Coated,  2,400  1.95 

20  Cement  Coated,  3,100  1.95 

16  Cement  Coated,  4,900  2.00 

10  Cement  Coated,  6,600  2.00 

9  Cement  Coated,  8,900  2.05 

8  Cement  Coated,  10,100  2.05 

7  Cement  Coated.  15,300  2.15 

6  Cement  Coated,  17,900  2.15 

5  Cement  Coated,  25,500  2.25 

4  Cement  Coated,  29,800  2.25 

3  Cement  Coated,  54,300  2.40 

2  Cement  Coated,  85,700  2.65 

Cement  coated  nails  are  sold  by  count  and  not  by  weight. 

Kegs  vary  in  weight  according  to  size  of  nails,  but  each 
keg  of  coated  nails  contains  as  many  as  there  are  in  a  100 
pounds  of  common  nails. 

They  are  about  &  inch  shorter  than  the  regular  wire  nail. 

MACHINE  BOLTS:— See  Chap  XXVII. 

BOLTS: — Bolts  are  not  measured  between  nut  and  head  for 
length,  but  from  under  head  to  extreme  end.  Countersunk 
bolts  are  measured  over  the  head.  Rods  threaded  both  ends 
are  measured  from  point  to  point.  Machine  bolts,  2  .to  3c 
per  Ib.  Drift  bolts,  2c  Ib;  boat  spikes,  3c  per  Ib. 

LAG  SCREWS: — 2  to  5c  per  Ib.  See  tables  for  weight  of 
round  iron. 

EXPANSION  BOLTS:— |"x2"  to  5",  8c  each;  £x2  to  5,  lie 
each;  fx2  to  5,  15c  each;  both  bolt  and  sheath  included. 


HARDWARE  227 

CAST   WASHERS 

Price:— H  to  2c  per  Ib. 

J  inch    £  Ib    each  1|  inch    6    Ibs  each 

|  inch    f  Ib    each  If  inch    9J  Ibs  each 

I  inch  lj  Ib    each  2    inch  V7\  Ibs  each 

|  inch  l\  Ib    each  2£  inch  20    Ibs  each 

1    inch  2i  Ibs  each  2|  inch  11\  Ibs  each 

li  inch  3    Ibs  each  2|  inch  36    Ibs  each 

l|  inch  5f  Ibs  each  3    inch  46    Ibs  each 

Weights  are  different:  These  are  Jones  &  Laughlin's;  the 
Union  Pacific  3"  washer,  for  example,  is  only  £  Ib  and  so  on 
in  proportion  to  size. 

Manufacturers'  Standard  List  of  Wrt  Washers. 

Price. — 4  to  5c  per  Ib. 

Weight  Weight 

\ 13,900  to  100  Ibs      1   625  to  100  Ibs 

| 6,800  to  100  Ibs       \\ 520  to  100  Ibs 

\ 2,600  to  100  Ibs      \\ 400  to  100  Ibs 

| 1,300  to  100  Ibs      \\ 260  to  100  Ibs 

J 1,010  to  100  Ibs      2  175  to  100  Ibs 

1 860  to  100  Ibs 

Small  washers  cost  from  30  to  50%  more  than  large. 

SHOP  DOORS: — Hardware  for  large  doors  of  No.  7  etc.,  from 
$30  to  $36;  for  windows,  $3. 

SASH  WEIGHTS: — The  weights  of  cast  iron  carried  in  stock 
run  from  3  to  24  Ibs.  Price  about  lie.  Standard  weight  is 
round.  Sq"  weights  are  special  and  cost  about  1.75c  per  Ib, 
and  round  weights  over  22  Ibs  are  same  price.  If  few,  allow 
2c.  To  get  size  of  square  weights  find  half  the  weight  of 
sash  and  the  extreme  possible  length  of  sash  weight  in  inches. 
Divide  an  assumed  weight  of  48  Ibs  by  .26  and  we  have  the 
number  in  ci  necessary  to  balance  1  side  of  a  96  Ib  sash.  This 
is  divided  by  24,  the  assumed  length,  and  the  sectional  area 
is  found  to  be  nearly  7f  inches.  We  must  now  find  a  num- 
ber which  mult  by  itself  will  produce  7.70  for  a  sq  weight;, 
or  if  it  has  to  be  2''  thick,  it  will  be  3|  wide.  A  sq  weight, 
would  be  2.78  inches  or  a  trifle  more  than  2|.  A  knowledge; 
of  sq  root  is  useful  for  more  than  rafter  lengths,  for  we  can- 
not always  carry  a  load  of  books  around.  The  main  windows 


228  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

of  No.  3  weighed  from  350  to  400  Ibs;   and  doors  on  No.  4 
weighed  more. 


LEAD  WEIGHTS 

Where  boxes  are  small  lead  weights  have  sometimes  to  be 
used,  but  the  price  is  7£c  per  Ib.  Lead  weighs  about  50% 
more  than  wrt  iron. 

The  following  table  for  lead  will  save  the  trouble  of  calcu- 
lating weights. 

Size  in  inches;  weight  in  Ibs  per  If: 

Size  Round  Square  Size  Round  Square 

1  3|  4.93  2£  23  30.82 
It              6  7.68  2|  28.93  37.27 
li              8t  10.27  3  34.81  44.38 
1J  11|  15.08  3i  40.52  52.07 

2  15|  19.02  3i  47.26  60.82 
2t             18i            24                  3|            54  69.33 

SECTIONAL  SASH  WEIGHTS  link  to  each  other  till  enough 
balance  the  sash  or  door.  They  give  any  weight  from  14  Ibs 
up.  They  can  be  delivered  without  weighing  sash.  Cost, 
$33  per  ton  at  New  York. 

SASH  CORD: — There  are  many  kinds,  and  each  manufacturer 
says  his  is  the  best.  The  usual  hank  contains  100  ft,  and 
weighs  from  2  up  to  3  Ibs.  A  &  cord  weighs  1^  Ibs  to  the 
100  ft;  and  a  |,  5  Ibs.  Aver  price,  25  to  30c  per  Ib. 

Sash  chain  costs  per  ft  8c  in  genuine  copper,  for  weight 
up  to  125  Ibs. 

Sash  chain,  copper  steeled,  3c. 

Steel  retinned  chain,  5c. 

Steel  ribbon,  5c  up  to  125  Ibs. 

DUMBWAITERS: — Without  rope  or  car,  to  carry  weights  up 

to  100  Ibs,  $15  to  $20.     Cars,  $15  to  $40.     This  is  for  a  good, 

strong,  ordinary  installation,   but  $200  could  be  invested  in 

some  kinds. 

WALL  PLUGS:— $16  per  M. 

INSIDE  SLIDING  DOOR    HANGERS:— An    aver    hanger    is 

worth  $4.50  with  track  and  bolts  complete;  with  some  hangers 


HARDWARE  229 

a  wide  opening  runs  to  $5.50.  A  Coburn,  $2.60  for  single 
door  4-6;  $4.20  for  6'  dbl  door. 

COBURN  BARN  DOOR  HANGERS  are  worth  $2.25  without 
track;  track,  lOc  per  ft. 

A  Wilcox,  aver  size,  $2  pair;  track  18c;  brackets,  18c  each. 
JAMB  GUARDS:— For  8'  long,  3i"  wide,  with  anchors,  $1.50 
each. 

BARBED  WIRE:— For  4-point  cattle,  painted,  H  Ibs  to  16* 
ft;   galv,  li  Ibs.     Hog,  li  to  14.     For  2-point  cattle,  painted, 
1  Ib;  galv,  l^s.    Hog,  1&  to  1$.    Price  3£  to  4c  per  Ib.    Staples 
of  aver  size  100  to  Ib,  4c. 
POST  HOLE  DIGGERS:— $1  each. 
COMMON  WIRE:— Price,  $2.90  per  100  Ibs. 
WIRE  PANELS^— For  No.  10  x  U"  mesh,  22c  sq  ft. 

For  No.  9,  1£"  mesh 22c 

For  No.  8,  2"  mesh 22c 

For  No.  12,  \Y  mesh 20c 

Heavy  Wire  Window  Guards 50c 

SHELF  HARDWARE:— "In  making  out  bills  of  hardware 
take  each  room  separately  and  indicate  each  door  or  window 
where  special  stuff  is  required,  and  the  hardware  will  be 
packed  to  suit." 

"  A  door  is  left-handed  if  when  viewed  from  the  outside  its 
hinges  are  on  the  left.  The  outside  of  a  door  is  that  side 
which  is  approached  on  entering  a  building  or  room.  The 
outside  of  door  between  rooms  is  the  side  opposite  to  that 
from  which  the  knuckles  of  the  butt  are  visible.  All  doors 
opening  out  should  be  designated  as  reversed  doors."  A  front 
door  does  not  usually  open  out,  but  if  it  did  it  would  be  a 
reversed  door.  In  ordering  certain  classes  of  hardware  it 
is  necessary  to  specify  right  or  left. 

AVER  PRICES: — Since  we  can  not  read  several  thousand 
pages  of  descriptive  matter,  or  explore  as  many  sq  ft  of 
shelving,  is  there  no  way  of  getting  some  fair  idea  on  the 
price  of  shelf  hardware? 

The  following  figures  embrace  pretty  much  all  that  the  con- 
tractor is  apt  to  meet  in  a  specification.  For  several  years 


230  THE     NEW     BUILDING     FSTIMATOR 

I  used  just  such  a  list  as  is  presented  here,  and  found  it  to 
work  satisfactorily.  Changes  can  be  noted  on  it  as  the 
days  go  by  and  prices  rise  or  fall.  With  some  the  danger  is 
to  put  bronze  finish  in  place  of  real  bronze.  There  is  not 
so  much  difference  between  the  various  finishes  of  iron.  Tak- 
ing bronze  plated  goods  as  a  standard  polished  old  copper 
runs  about  5%  more;  sand  old  copper,  15  to  20,  while  Boston- 
finish  and  steel  finish,  are  about  the  same  as  bronze  plated. 
Real  bronze  goods  belong  to  another  class.  Some  have  had  to 
pay  for  this  information, 

HINGES  OR  BUTTS 

4x  4  Jap'd,  20c  per  pr;  30c  in  Bronze  Finish;  $2.00  in  Real  Bronze 
4£x4$  Jap'd,  25c  per  pr;  35c  in  Bronze  Finish;  2.25  in  Real  Bronze 
5  x5  Jap'd,  35c  per  pr;  50c  in  Bronze  Finish;  2.50  in  Real  Bronze 

Dbl-acting  Chicago  butts,  jap,  per  pr,  1£  door,  $1.20;  If  to 
2",  $3;  bronze  plated,  etc,  $3  for  U;  $5.75  for  If  to  2;  old 
copper  finish,  unpolished,  $2  and  $4.30;  antique  finish,  sand- 
blast, $3  and  $5.60  for  same  thicknesses.  But  a  blank  is 
often  used  with  a  butt  as  1  is  strong  enough  for  the  door, 
and  this  reduces  the  price.  Blanks  are  about  half  the  price 
of  butts.  Real  bronze  butts  of  this  kind  are  seldom  used. 

The  Chicago  floor  hinge  is  used  with  spring  at  bottom  and 
plate  at  top.  For  thin  doors,  $1.40  for  each  door;  for  2"  doors, 
$1.75  japanned;  in  plated,  antique  copper,  $1.75  and  $2.10. 

These  hinges  must  not  be  confused  with  screen  door  goods 
which  are  sold  from  $1  to  $2  per  dozen  pairs. 

Sometimes  smaller  butts  than  4x4  are  used.  On  4  lists 
running  from  3^x3 \  to  5x5,  the  bronze  plated  goods  are  in 
cents;  13,  14,  15,  20,  24,  30c  per  pair;  old  copper  finish,  13, 

15,  19,  23,  28,  and  30c;   polished  and  bronzed  with  ball  tips, 
19,  23,  24,  28,  31,  and  43c;   old  copper,  sand  finish,  ball  tips, 

16,  18,  20,  25,  30,  and  34c. 

For  wrt  steel  loose  pin  butts,  used  on  ceiling  doors,  etc, 
the  price  is  low;  2x2,  5c  per  pair;  4x4,  12c.  In  small  quanti- 
ties a  higher  price  may  be  charged. 

SURF  BUTT: — A  new  article  is  the  Reversible  Surf  Door 
Butt.  One  side  goes  on  the  jamb  in  the  ordinary  way,  and 


HARDWARE  231 

the  other  on  the  face  of  the  door.  It  is  easier  to  put  on  than 
the  common  butt. 

A  LOOSE  PIN  BALL  TIP  REVERSIBLE  BUTT 

Per  Pair 
3"          3i"  4" 

Wrt  Iron,  Japanned  Butts $0.15  $0.17  $0.22 

Steel,  Old  Copper,  Finished  Butts..  .S 21  .23  .28 

Steel,  Sand  Blast,  Old  Copper,  Finish  Butts  . .       .22  .24  '     .30 

Steel,  Antique  Brass,  Finish  Butts 21  .23  .28 

Steel,  Sand  Blast,  Antique  Brass,  Finish  Butts       .23  .25  .31 

Above  butts  are  carried  in  the  following  sizes,  3,  3$,  and  4 
inches,  packed  with  screws. 

LARGE  SIZE: — A  price  on  some  large  common  hinges  may 
be  of  service.  Steel,  antique  brass,  sand  finish,.  7"xlO",  extra 
heavy,  ball-bearing,  $5.25  per  pair.  For  8"x8"  real  bronze,  $28. 
-WRT  BRASS  BUTTS:— Open  hinge,  get  exact  number 
of  sq  inches  and  mult  by  lie  for  price  of  each  hinge — not 
pair.  These  hinges  are  narrow,  middle,  broad  and  desk. 
Narrow,  1"  long,  2c  per  pr;  2"  long,  3c;  3"  long,  8c.  Middle, 
2"  long,  3c  pr;  3",  IGc.  Broad,  2",  4c;  3",  12c. 
LOCKS:— A  GOOD  RIM  LOCK  with  knobs  and  plain,  jap 
trim,  20c.  Inside  good  door  lock,  fit  for  any  door,  $1  with  real 
bronze  trim  complete;  a  larger  size,  $1.50.  Front  door  lock, 
$3.50;  but  a  good  one  may  be  had  for  half  that  figure  if  real 
bronze  is  not  desired.  There  are  others  that  cost  $5,  and  with- 
"out  much  searching  of  shelves  $20  could  be  spent  on  a  front 
.door. 

SLIDING  DOOR:— $1.50  to  $3  and  upwards.  Sliding  door 
latches  are  a  trifle  cheaper,  just  as  they  are  for  ordinary 
doors. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  pay  even  $1  for  a  mortise  lock.  With 
jet  knobs  and  bronze  plated  trimmings  a  lock  good  enough  for 
cottages  may  be  bought  for  30  to  40c. 

UNIT:— The  Corbin  "Unit"  lock  is  something  new.  It  is  in 
1  piece,  and  is  merely  cut  in  the  edge  of  the  door  and  the  long 
escutcheons  screwed  in  place.  It  looks  well,  but  a  carpenter 
objects  to  weakening  the  framework  of  the  door.  The  lock 
costs  about  $6  or  $7.  With  complete  trim,  $8.50  to  $10.50. 


232  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

A  STORE  DOOR  LOCK  with  trimmings  complete  may  be 
bought  for  $5  in  bronze;  but  $8  is  the  least  that  should  be 
estimated  for  a  good  building.  From  this  price  we  may  run 
to  $11,  $15,  and  as  high  as  we  choose.  A  bronzed  lock  com- 
plete may  be  bought  for  $1.  Dead  locks  for  stores,  without 
trimmings,  85c  each. 

THE  MASTER  KEYED  LOCKS  on  No.  2  were  $2.75  each  witlr 
out  trimmings.     Common  bronze  face,  $1.25. 
DRAWER  LOCKS: — A  really  good  article  is  worth  60c;  from 
that  they  are  sold  down  to  lOc.    A  good  cupboard  lock  is 
worth  30c. 

Sometimes  a  combination  of  various  goods   is  made;    the 
following  prices  will  be  a  help: 

ESCUTCHEONS: — Real  bronze  for  key  only,  35c  to  45c  per 
doz;  imitation,  25c;  jap,  12c.  For  key  and  knob,  real,  5£  to 
6",  $1.25  to  $2;  in  various  sizes  with  imitation  finishes,  65  to 
75c  per  doz. 

PUSH  PLATES:—  3^x10,  $7.20  to  $8.40  per  doz,  real;  imita- 
tion, $5.  Persian  bronzed,  $2.  Larger  sizes  run  from  35c 
each  in  imitation  to  $1.75  in  bronze  metal. 

DOOR  KNOBS:— Mineral,  porcelain,  and  jet  knobs,  with  jap 
mountings,  run  from  75c  to  $1  a  doz;  wrt  bronze  metal,  $4.25 
to  $5.50;  jet  knobs  with  bronze  mountings,  $1.75;  bronzed 
wrt  iron  knobs,  $3.  Better  qualities  of  standard  bronze  metal 
knobs  run  to  $8  per  doz. 

DOOR  SPRINGS  AND  CHECKS:— Blount,  $4  to  $6.40,  accord- 
ing to  thickness  of  door.  Corbin  combined,  $2.10  to  $5.60; 
Eclipse  check,  $1.25  to  $2.50;  Eclipse  springs  75c  to  $1.60. 
Eclipse  spring  and  check  go  together. 

TRANSOM  LIFTS: — Bronze  iron,  1x3'  and  4',  20c  each; 
5-16x4,  30c;  §x5,  50c  each.  With  copper  finish,  add  from  5 
to  lOc  each. 

FLUSH  BOLTS:— 50  to  75c  each  in  imitation;  $1  to  $1.50  in 
real.     There  are  smaller  and  cheaper  flush  bolts. 
CHAIN  BOLTS:— 30%  cheaper  than  flush  bolts. 
BARREL  BOLTS: — From  5  to  12c  each. 
SASH  LIFTS: — Flush,  imitation,  75c  per  doz;  real,  75c  to  $3. 


HARDWARE  233 

BAR  LIFTS:— Imitation,    $1.50    to    $2.10;     real,    $3    to    $4. 

Persian  bronzed,  $1.20  per  doz. 

HOOK  LIFTS:— Imitation,  Ic  to  3c  each;  real,  5c  to  lOc  each. 

SASH  LOCKS:— Imitation  60c  to  $1.50  per  doz;  real,  $1.75  to 

$3.25. 

PULL  DOWNS:— 2c  each. 

AXLE  PULLEYS: — $1.25  per  dozen  down  to  25c.    Large  sizes 

should  be  used. 

SASH  BALANCES: — They  rise  according  to  weight  of  sash. 

For  ordinary  20-lb  sash,  $1.25  to  $1.75  per  set  for  1  window 

complete.     They  run  as  high  as  $12  for  large  sizes. 

SASH  CENTERS: — 15c  per  pair. 

DRAWER    PULLS:— Imitation,    50c    doz;     real,    $1.25.     But 

there  are  many  kinds  and  prices. 

WARDROBE  HOOKS:— Wire,  15c  per  doz;   cast  iron,  40c. 

BRASS  TRACK:— 6c  per  ft;   sheaves,  lOc  each. 

SCREWS: — From  \"  to  \\,  20c  per  gross;  11  to  3",  40c.     These 

prices  are  for  bright  iron  screws  of  aver  weight — the  price 

of  extra  heavy  screws  may  run  up  several  times  as  much. 

Brass  screws  cost  about  twice  as  much  as  iron. 

HEAVY  STRAP  HINGES:— Allow  4  to  5c  per  inch  of  length 

per  pair  for  an  approximate  figure;  light,  25%  less. 

HEAVY  TEE  HINGES:— 4  to  5c  per  inch  of  length.    Take 

extreme  length  folded  in  each  case. 

MORTAR  HOES:— 60  to  75c  each. 

MORTAR  WHEELBARROWS:— $2.75;    common  brick,   $2.50. 

PAILS:— 35c  to  75c. 

SHOVELS: — 90c,  upwards  and  downwards. 

BRICK  HODS:— 80c;   mortar,  95c. 

ROPE: — Manila,  15c  per  Ib;  sisal,  13c.  The  relative  strength 
of  Manila  and  sisal  is  7  to  5.  Approximate  weight  of  1,200 
ft— a  full  coil: 

3-16    i     |      *       |      |      1       1"     U     11      II       2" 

18  Ib  25  45  100  160  200  300  360  570  800  1.200  1,500 

STEEL  WIRE  ROPE:— For  f,  8c  per  ft. 


234  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

HOSE:  —  The   cost   is   from   7c   to   13c   per   ft    according   to 

quality. 

ASH  PIT  OR  FLUE  DOORS:  —  For  cast  iron,  japanned. 

8"x  8"  .................  $  .55      10"xl4"  .................  $1.05 

8"xlO"  ..................  60      12//xl5//  .................   1  .35 

85 


SHELF  BRACKETS:—  Light  and  heavy. 

Per  Pair  Doz  Pairs  Per  Pair  Doz  Pairs 

4"x  5"  ..........  $  .05  $  .45  5"x  6"  .........  $   .12  $1.25 

5"x  6"  ...........  06  .56  5"x  7"  ...........  15  1.50 

5"x  1"  ...........  07  .60  6"x  8"  ..........  22  2.10 

6"x  8"  ...........  08  .75  7//x9//....  ......  23  2.20 

7"x  9"  ...........  09  .90  8"xlO"  ..........  25  2.30 

8"xlO"  ...........  10  1.00  10//xl2//  ..........  30  3.00 

10"xl2"  ...........  14  1.45  12//xl4//  ..........  35  3.35 

12//xl4//  ...........  23  2.15 

WALL  VENTILATING  GRATES:— 

6"x  8"  ....................  lOc      10"xl2"  ....................  25c 

8"xlO"  ....................  15c 

STOVE     PIPE     PARTITION     THIMBLE:—  For     fire     guard 
through  partitions,  6",  40c. 

STOVE  PIPE  REGISTER:—  To  go  through  floor,  $1;  includ- 
ing ceiling  plate. 


CHAPTER  XV 

SHEET  METAL  WORK 

Per  Box 

20x28  1C  Roofing  Tin $10.00 

20x28  IX  Roofing  Tin 13.00 

20x28  1C  Old  Style  Roofing  Tin 14.00 

20x28  IX  Old  Style  Roofing  Tin 17.00 

Per  100 

5x  7  Shingle  Tins $0.85 

7x10  Shingle  Tins 1.50 

Tinners'  Solder,  per  Ib 26 

No.  28,  1"  Galv  Corrugated  Pipe 4£c 

No.  28,  3"  Galv  Corrugated  Pipe 5  c 

No.  28,  4"  Galv  Corrugated  Pipe 6  c 

No.  28,  5"  Galv  Corrugated  Pipe 8  c 

No.  28,  6"  Galv  Corrugated  Pipe 9  c 

No.  28,  2"  Galv  Corrugated  Elbows 7  c 

No.  28,  3"  Galv  Corrugated  Elbows 8  c 

No.  28,  4"  Galv  Corrugated  Elbows 10  c 

No.  28,  5"  Galv  Corrugated  Elbows 18  c 

No.  28,  6*  Galv  Corrugated  Elbows 22  c 

No.  28.  2"  Galv  Corrugated  Cut-offs 22  c 

No.  28,  3"  Galv  Corrugated  Cut-offs 24  c 

No.  28,  4"  Galv  Corrugated  Cut-offs 35  c 

No.  28,  5"  Galv  Corrugated  Cut-offs 60  c 

No.  28,  6*  Galv  Corrugated  Cut-offs 75  c 

Rosin 7  to  8c  per  Ib 

ITEMIZED  ACTUAL   COST   OF   A   SQUARE   OF   TIN 
ROOFING 

1C  IX  1C  IX 

Common     Common    Old  Style    Old  Style 

29  Sheets,  20x28... $2.59  $3.37  $3.63  $4.41 

SlbsSolder 1.30  1.30  1.30  1.30 

Charcoal  and  Rosin 25  .25  .25  .25 

Nails 07  .07  .07  .07 

Labor 1.60  1.60  1.60  1.60 

Paint  on  under  side,  one  coat 40  .40  .40  .40 

Drayage 15  .15  .15  .15 


Actual  Cost $6.36      $7.14      $7.40      $8.18 

With    Contractor's    Profit,    Shop 

Rent,  Tools,  Etc.,  20  per  cent.S7.C5       $8.57      $8.88      $9.82 

235 


236  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Itemized  Actual  Cost  of  a  Sq  of  Tin  Roofing— Continued 

1C                IX            1C  IX 

Common     Common    Old  Style  Old  Style 

63  Sheets,  14x20 2.77        3.60        3.87  4.70 

7£lbsSolder 1.95         1.95         1.95  1.95 

Charcoal  and  Rosin 40           .40           .40  .40 

Nails , 10           .10           .10  .10 

Labor 2.30        2.30        2.30  2.30 

Paint  One  Side 40           .40           .40  .40 

Drayage 15           .15           .15  .15 


Actual  Cost $8.07      $8.90      $9.17       10.00 

With  Contractor's  Profit 9 . 68       10 . 68       1 1 . 00       12 . 00 

STANDING  SEAM: — Sheets  20x28.  These  standing  seams  do 
not  require  soldering,  but  more  tin  is  used  to  make  the  lap. 
Deduct  about  55c  per  sq  from  the  20x28  list.  Quantity,  297 
sheets  with  seams  on  narrow  edge,  and  307  on  long  edge. 

TERNE  PLATES 

No.  of  Shts  Wt  per  Box  No.  of  Shts  Wt  per  Box 

Size  In      Mark      in  Box  Lbs         Size  In      Mark      in  Box  Lbs 

10x20        1C         112  80         14x20       IX        112  140 

10x20       IX        112          100        20x28       1C         112  224 

14x20       1C         112          112        20x28       IX        112  280 


GALV  IRON 

WEIGHT  AND  PRICE:— See  "Table,"  Chap.  XXVII  for 
weight  of  galv.  sheets.  Regulate  the  price  according  to  the 
list  below  multiplied  by  the  weight  per  sq. 

LABOR: — The  sheets  are  about  96"  long,  and  less  soldering 
is  required  than  for  tin.  For  No.  26  allow  $1  per  sq,  or  a  little 
more  than  1  cent  per  Ib.  Allow  from  1  to  l£c  per  Ib,  as  the 
weight  of  sheet  increases. 

COST: — The  cost  as  far  west  as  Omaha  is  $3.90  to  $4.70  per 
100  Ibs;  in  Ohio  it  is  naturally  cheaper. 

As  a  good  comparison  of  the  cost  of  sheets  of  various  num- 
bers the  following  from  "  The  Iron  Age  "  of  July  23,  1908,  will 
be  of  service: 

"Black  Sheets  from  store:  Blue  Annealed,  No.  10,  2.15c.; 
No.  12,  2.20c.;  No.  14,  2.25c.;  No.  16,  2.35c;  Box  Annealed,  Nos. 


SHEET     METAL     WORK  237 

18  to  21,  2.60c.;  Nos.  22  to  24,  2.65c.;  No.  26,  2.70c.;  No.  27, 
2.75c.;  No.  28,  2.85c.;  No.  30,  3.25c.;  Galvanized  from  store: 
Nos.  10  to  16,  3c.;  Nos.  18  to  20,  3.15c.;  Nos.  22  to  24,  3.30c.; 
No.  26,  3.50c.;  No.  27,  3.70c.;  No.  28,  3.90c.;  No.  30,  4.40c.  to 
4.45c." 

FOR  ONE  SQUARE  OF  No.  26 

Galv  Iron  (Including  Waste) .$4.00 

Solder 80 

Charcoal  and  Rosin 15 

Nails 05 

Paint  on  Under  Side  One  Coat 40 

Drayage 15 

Labor 1.00 

ACTUAL  COST $6.55 

With  Profit,  20% 1.30 

$7.85 


On  several  hundred  sq  with  paper  below,  laid  in  1906,  the 
contract  price  was  $8.60,  but  board  for  men  was  included. 
No  22  is  worth  $1  per  sq  more  than  No.  26. 
No.  18  comes  to  about  $15. 

FOR  CORRUGATED  galv.  iron  allow  about  same  price,  rather 
less  than  more. 

FOR  BLACK  SHEETS  the  cost  is  about  $1  per  100  Ibs  less 
than  for  galv. 


COST  TABLE  INCLUDING  PROFIT 
WORK  SET  IN  PLACE 

Flashing,  gutters,  downspouts,  are  now  usually  made  of  galv 
iron  instead  of  tin,  but  in  most  cases  the  following  prices  will 
serve  for  both: 

FLASHING:— For  No.  26  galv  iron  14"  wide,  14c  per  If;  20", 
20c;  28",  25c;  No.  24  same  widths,  15c;  22,  27c.  For  counter- 
flashing —  9"  and  9" — 25c.  For  wide  long  flashing  of  No.  26,  lOc 
per  sq  ft;  for  No.  24,  12c.  Copper  flashing  costs  per  sq  ft 


238  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

about  25c  to  30c,  but  copper  often  changes  in  price.  No.  22 
galv  iron  costs  about  5c;  24,  4c;  26,  which  is  the  kind  usually 
specified,  is  about  4c  per  sq  ft.  Zinc,  which  is  occasionally 
used,  runs  to  6c  per  sq  ft.  Copper,  17c. 

GUTTERS: — Allow  2c  per  inch  of  girt  per  ft  for  gutters  hung 
in  place.  For  lined  gutters,  10  to  12c  per  sq  ft  of  material 
used. 

DOWNSPOUTS:— For  2",  lOc  per  ft;  3,  15c;  4,  20c;  5,  25c;  6 
30c;  all  corrugated. 

FINIALS: — They  may  be  had  at  $2  or  $20,  and  even  beyond. 
A  plain  one  about  3  or  4  ft  high  costs  $4. 

CRESTING:— From  15  to  40c  per  If. 

VENTILATORS:— 4",  $1;  6,  $2;  9,  $3;  12,  $4;  16,  $10;  24,  $20; 
54,  $100.  The  price  of  ventilators  depends  upon  the  kind 
selected.  Another  list,  for  example,  is  the  following: 


VENTILATOR  LIST 

Size  Price        Size  Price 

6" $1.35  20" $9.50 

9" 1.75  30" 18.00 

VI" 2.50  36" 28.00 

15" 5.00  60" 80.00 

LARGE  SKYLIGHTS:— For  large  skylights  like  those  on  No. 
7,  steel  channels  and  copper  caps,  in  different  styles  of  differ- 
ent makers,  50c  is  a  safe  figure  in  place.  In  the  east  the 
freight  is  less;  in  the  west,  more.  The  weight  is  8  Ibs  to  the 
sq  ft;  setting  8c. 

On  No.  7  and  other  buildings  there  were  67,000  sq  ft;  and 
about  the  same  amount  for  later  bldgs  of  the  plant  of  an 
inferior  make  of  No.  26  galv  iron,  30c,  set  but  not  painted. 
With  copper  caps  as  on  No.  7  the  continual  expense  of  paint- 
ing is  avoided. 

No.  8  has  about  23,000  sq  ft  with  copper  caps. 

The  best  skylights  have  no  putty.  On  one  with  10,000  sq  ft, 
designed  for  putty,  ribs  18"  centers,  2400  Ibs  were  used. 


SHEET     METAL     WORK  23c> 

i"  GLAZED  ORDINARY  SKYLIHTS  OF  NO.  26 
GALV   IRON  SET 

Size  of  Ceiling  Hole  in  Ft    Gable  Style        Single  Slope  Hip  or  4-Slope 

2x  4  $7.50  $5.60  $13.50 

2x  6  10.00  7.80  17.00 

3x  4  10.00  7.80  17.00 

4x  6  16.50  13.50  26.00 

5x  8  26.00  20.00  38.00 

6x  8  30.00  22.00  43.00 

8x10  45.00  35.40  70.00 

8x14  64.00  45.00  85.00 

10x12  67.00  48.00  105.00 

10x16  96.00  70.00  135.00 

For  a  copper  skylight  of  aver   size  dbl   pitch  roof,  $1.40 
per  sq  ft  of  area  of  roof  curb;  for  single  pitch,  $1.10. 
SPEAKING  TUBES  are  put  in  for  about  lOc  per  ft,  including; 
mouthpieces.    The  raw  material  is  worth  about  3c, 

The  contractors'  profit  is  included  in  foregoing  prices. 
MEASUREMENT:— The  size  of  tin  sheets  is  14x20  and  20x28, 
The  large  size  is  commonly  used.  A  box  contains  112  sheets. 
The  wt  of  I  C  is  about  8  oz  per  sq  ft;  I  X,  10;  but  the  sheets- 
vary  a  little.  A  box  of  20x28  I.  C.  weighs  225  Ibs;  of  I.  X.,  285. 
No  allowance  is  made  by  manufacturers  for  any  lap  of  tin, 
galv  iron,  corrugated  iron  or  copper.  Lap  on  a  26J  sheet  takes 
2£,  leaving  24.  There  are  many  light-weight  tins.  The  galv 
iron  sheet  varies  from  24  to  30"  wide  x  96  long. 
QUANTITY: — For  a  tin  roof  allow  per  sq  29  sheets  of  20x28 ; 
for  solder,  5  Ibs;  charcoal,  lOc  per  sq;  rosin,  1  Ib  to  sq;  roofing 
nails,  1  to  li  Ibs  to  sq.  This  number  of  sheets  allows  for  a 
lap  of  1  inch  at  joint.  For  14x20  sheets,  62  to  63  to  sq;  allow 
about  50%  more  solder,  etc.  Tin  roofing  should  be  measured 
by  the  sq.  As  with  plaster,  etc,  the  trade  rules  do  not  deduct 
openings  below  a  certain  size,  and  they  also  provide  for  other 
exceptions  which  might  trap  the  unwary  if  work  were  taken 
on  a  sq  ft  basis;  but  here  these  rules  are  not  set  down  nor 
considered. 

To  the  sq  of  galv  iron  allow  3  Ibs  of  solder  and  other  items 
as  for  tin. 

Standing  seam  tin  takes  3"  off  20  wide,  instead  of  only  1  for 
lap  and  this  loses  2;  but  as  no  solder  is  required  the  cost  is 
about  the  same. 


240  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LABOR: — For  plain  roofing  allow  4  sq  in  a  day  for  2  men.  If 
painted  on  under  side,  allow  1  hour  extra  for  1  man  per  sq. 
Two  men  will  put  200  ft  of  ordinary  hanging  gutter  in  a  day; 
and  will  line  150  sq  ft  of  box  gutter. 

Two  men  lay  about  400  sq  ft  of  valleys  in  a  day;  and  finish 
400  If  of  ordinary  flashing,  or  150  sq  ft  of  flashing  and  counter- 
flashing;  will  put  200  to  400  ft  of  down  spout  in  place;  and  100 
to  200  ft  of  ordinary  ridge.  But  some  judgment  has  to  be  used 
as  to  allowances,  for  one  building  might  be  near  the  ground 
and  easily  handled,  while  another  might  be  high  and  broken 
into  many  angles. 

CORNICES 

A  plain  cornice  24"  deep  on  the  plumb  and  15"  projection, 
with  complete  girt  of  72",  including  part  under  slate,  cost 
$1.25  per  If,  set,  in  1906.  This  is  exactly  Ifc  per  inch  of  girt 
of  No.  26  galv  iron  for  450'. 

PRICE: — For  a  general  rule  take  the  girt  of  a  galv  iron 
cornice  and  allow  If  to  2c  per  inch  per  ft  long.  Thus  if  the 
front  measured  36"  following  the  curve  of  all  mouldings,  and 
the  distance  back  to  the  wall  was  14"  with  an  allowance  of  6" 
into  wall  for  top  and  bottom,  the  price  would  be  98c  to  $1.12 
per  If.  This  includes  the  straight  work  only.  Add  end-trusses, 
dentils,  brackets,  and  all  extra  work.  There  is  an  endless 
variety  of  ornamental  work  which  has  to  be  priced  according 
to  detail.  The  foregoing  price  includes  setting.  No.  26  iron  is 
standard.  The  price  of  several  sizes  is  here  given  without 
setting.  The  plumb  height  is  taken,  not  the  width  of  ihv 
metal. 

Height     Projection  Price  per  Ft  Height     Projection  Price  per  Ft 

26  12  $  .40  24  10  $  .30 

24  12  .40  24  12  .35 

26  12  .75  28  14  .80 

28  15  .40  30  15  1.00 

36  15  .85  36  20  .75 

48  24  1.85  32  14  .60 

44  20  1.50  48  24  2.20 

40  24  1.35  48  26  1.85 

36  24  1.30  45  24  1.50 

60  30  3.25  60  26  2.35 

64  36  3.50 


SHEET     METAL     WORK  241 

These  prices  include  brackets,  dentils,  etc,  but  no  end 
trusses.  Ends  run  from  $2  to  $7.  Miters  are  extra,  ranging 
from  $1  to  $3;  a  miter  is  usually  put  on  same  price  as  12"  of 
straight  cornice.  Pediments  are  extra  and  may  run  from  $5 
to  $20.  Ordinary  letters  are  extra  at  25c  to  50c  each.  If  the 
girt  system  is  taken  and  dentils,  etc,  added,the  price  has  to  be 
set  for  each  item.  A  dentil  may  cost  from  15  to  30c;  egg  and 
dart  moulding,  15  to  30c  per  ft.  A  bracket  according  to  size  and 
detail,  from  30c  to  $1;  balusters  4x4x24,  85c;  medallions,  50c 
per  ft.  Urns  cost  from  $3  to  $10.  Crown  and  belt  mouldings- 
run  from  8  to  15c  without  setting,  but  it  is  possible  to  make 
them  cost  several  times  as  much.  In  all  cornice  makers'  work 
detail  is  of  vital  importance. 

LABOUR: — Setting  of  cornices  15c  to  $1  per  If. 

WINDOW  AND  DOOR  CAPS:— Of  ordinary  lengths,  $2.50  to 

$4;  with  pediments,  etc,  $4  to  $6. 

GABLE  ORNAMENTS:— $1  to  $5. 

COPPER  EAGLES:— 5-ft  spread,  $75;  3-ft,  $55;   zinc  eagles, 

30%  less. 

HIP  ROLLS:— 10  to  12c  per  If. 

METAL  CEILINGS. 

PRICE:— Taking  a  general  aver  allow  8  to  12c  per  sq  ft  put  in 
place  but  not  painted,  except  with  1  light  factory  coat.  There 
are  more  expensive  patterns,  but  9  out  of  10  ceilings  can  be 
put  on  within  these  prices. 

The  raw  material  for  the  plates  or  body  costs  from  $4  to 
$4.50  per  sq  laid  down  in  Omaha.  Panels  run  from  25  to  40c 
per  sq  more.  Centers  are  from  25  to  40c  each.  Corners, 
borders,  and  fillers,  run  to  about  the  same  price  as  the  plates, 
but  sometimes  a  special  corner  costs  twice  as  much  as  the 
aver  of  the  ceiling.  Small  mouldings  are  from  2  to  6c  per  If. 
Tees,  crosses  and  ells  to  match,  5  to  lOc  each.  Cornices, 
coves,  and  friezes,  from  3  to  15c  per  If  according  to  size  and 
pattern.  Miters,  5  to  20c  each. 

A  word  of  caution  has  to  be  added:  Plates  are  priced  at  $4 
to  $4.50,  they  can  be  bought  of  stock  patterns  for  $7.  Centers 


242  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

instead  of  being  25  to  40c  each  may  be  $5  and  so  on  through 
the  list. 

MEASUREMENT: — The  foregoing  prices  include  an  aver 
cornice  around  the  wall,  so  that  for  this  estimate  the  surf  be- 
tween the  walls  is  close  enough.  For  an  order  the  level  part 
has  to  be  taken,  and  cornices,  coves,  beams,  corners,  centers, 
etc,  attended  to  by  If  measurement  or  separately.  Furring  is 
also  included  in  the  price — from  80c  to  $1  per  sq  is  enough. 
Strips  are  not  furnished  by  manufacturers,  but  cornice  brack- 
ets and  ceiling  nails  are.  Plates  and  panels  are  usually  about 
24x24,  but  on  cheap  grades  are  also  sent  96"  long. 

LABOR: — Allow  from  $1  to  $1.50  per  sq.  A  ceiling  recently 
put  up  ran  to  $1.50  according  to  the  time  kept,  and  there  was 
nothing  very  fine  about  it.  The  room  was  not  large,  and 
where  there  is  a  large  space  there  is  more  progress  made.  On 
good  ceilings  a  man  and  helper  will  not  put  on  more  than  3  or 
4  sqs  with  cornice,  centers,  etc,  included.  On  large  rooms  with 
the  plainest  kind  of  work  they  may  do  from  6  to  8  sqs.  On  a 
roof  a  man  and  helper  will  lay  from  12  to  15  sqs  of  corrugated 
iron  but  even  the  cheapest  ceilings  do  not  go  on  as  fast  as 
this.  Wages  of  tradesmen  are  40c  per  hour. 
WAINSCOTING: — This  stamped  material  is  made  from  24  to 
28"  high,  and  is  worth  about  the  same  as  ceilings.  It  is  made 
to  follow  rake  of  stair  if  necessary.  Cap  and  base  are  not  in- 
cluded and  have  to  be  allowed  extra  at  the  price  of  small 
mouldings.  Generally  a  wood  base  is  preferable.  For  setting 
allow  8  sqs  of  ordinary  work  per  day  for  2  men. 

ORNAMENTAL    SHINGLES 

PRICE: — The  raw  material  runs  from  $4  to  $9  per  sq.  There 
are  so  many  varieties  that  the  price  can  not  be  set  to  suit  all. 
Another  style  of  manufacture  gives  the  shingles  in  a  pressed 
sheet  8'  long— and  another  size  is  20x28,  so  that  there  is  no 
standard  of  price. 

MEASUREMENT: — Some  manufacturers  send  enough  to  lay 
a  sq,  just  as  the  slate  quarrymen  do;  others  instruct  the  con- 
tractor to  allow  from  4  to  6  sq  ft  extra  to  the  100  for  laps. 
Different  sizes  of  shingles  are  made,  so  that  the  following 
figures  will  not  always  apply: 


SHEET     METAL     WORK  243 

14x20,    68  shingles  to  sq. 

10x14,  148  shingles  to  sq. 

7x10,  319  shingles  to  sq. 

Common  tin  shingles,  used  over  wood,  5x7,  $1.50  per  100. 

"      5x9,    2.00  per  100. 

LABOR: — For  separate  shingles  give  same  allowance  as  for 
wood  in  Chap  X;  for  sheets,  8  to  12  sqs  per  day  for  2  men. 
SIDING,  ROOFING: — Pressed  steel  brick  siding  and  rock- 
faced  siding,  $3.25  for  material;  standing  seam  roofing  and 
crimp  roofing,  $2.90  to  $3.50.  Such  material  comes  in  different 
sizes  and  prices.  The  labor  runs  on  an  aver  from  9  to  12  sqs 
per  day  for  2  men. 

HEAVY  PIPES:— For  heavy  galv  iron,  about  16  to  18,  12"  to  4' 
diam,  allow  from  8  to  lOc  per  Ib  in  place,  profit  included. 
Labor  is  about  3c  per  Ib.  In  1906,  60,000  Ibs  were  put  in  place 
for  lOc,  including  profit. 

CHARCOAL  IRON  is  a  little  better  than  the  ordinary  brand. 
FIRE-PROOF  WINDOWS:— At  the  end  of  Chap  XIII  the  price 
of  iron  shutters  is  given.  They  are  used  with  wood  frames, 
sash,  and  common  glass.  The  newest  style  of  fireproofing  is 
metal  frames,  sash,  and  wireglass,  either  ribbed  for  ware- 
houses or  plate  for  business  buildings.  In  one  year  in  New 
York  City  alone  700,000  sq  ft  were  put  in  place.  Iron  shutters 
are  not  required.  The  wireglass  is  of  the  usual  thickness  of  £ 
or  §".  See  Chap  XII  for  price. 

The  cost  of  frame  and  sash  differs  according  to  size,  and 
can  not  well  be  given  on  sq  ft  basis,  for  the  labor  of  riveting 
is  the  same  for  the  12  corners  on  all  ordinary  sizes.  A  frame 
and  sash  complete  with  pulleys  costs  about  $18  for  the  aver 
size  of  2'  6"x7'. 

The  cost  of  a  few  standard  sizes  is  given  in  galv  iron  un- 

painted:  Double  Hung  Pivoted 

3x6 $18.00         $13.50  each 

3'  6"x6'  6" 22.75  17.00  each 

4x8 30.40  22.40  each 

2'  6''x6'  0" 15.00  11.25  each 

2'  6"x5'  0" 13.00  10.00  each 

All  of  the  above  prices  include  necessary  hardware  such  as 

locks,  lifts,  weights,  chains,  etc,  also  sufficient  i  inch  rough  or 

ribbed  wireglass  for  glazing. 


244  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

A  New  York  price  is  $1.25  per  sq  ft,  in  quantities,  for 
windows  without  glass  or  hardware,  and  also  ordinary  doors 
with  jambs  and  casings  on  one  side.  These  fireproof  doors 
are  finished  to  look  like  hardwood,  and  are  seamless  with 
panels  pressed  under  250  ton  machine.  Bronze,  copper,  grille, 
and  special  designs,  are  much  more  expensive. 

COPPER  WINDOWS  cost  about  80c  per  sq  ft  more  than  galv 
iron.    Polished  wire  glass  is  also  $1  extra. 

COPPER 

The  electrical  demands  of  our  time  are  so  great  that  the 
copper  market  is  never  at  rest.  The  high  price  of  the  one 
year  is  outshone  by  that  of  the  next.  But  there  was  a  drop  in 
1907  that  surprised  some.  Copper  work  is  expensive,  but  it 
lasts. 

The  cornices  of  Nos.  3,  5,  and  6,  are  of  copper,  and  the 
towers  are  covered  with  the  same  material;  all  the  skylights 
of  No.  7  are  flashed  with  it. 

Store  fronts  are  now  made  of  oxidized  copper.  This  adds 
about  40c  to  the  sq  ft  of  the  raw  material. 

Allow  for  copper  flashing  from  22  to  26c  per  sq  ft.  The 
material  runs  about  as  follows: 

16  oz  soft,  16c  per  sq  ft.  14  oz  soft,  17c  per  sq  ft. 

16  oz  cold-rolled,  17c  per  sq  ft.     14  oz  cold-rolled,  18c  per  sq  ft. 

For  20  oz  copper  on  sinks,  etc,  40c  is  a  fair  price. 
CORNICES: — For  copper  cornices  complete  in  place  allow 
about  35c  per  sq  ft  of  actual  material  on  straight  work,  and  60 
to  65c  on  curved.  Labor  on  straight  work,  about  14c  per  sq 
ft.  Take  actual  surf  as  if  mouldings,  dentils,  etc,  were 
spread  out  flat. 

GUTTERS: — For   gutters   allow   35c   per  sq   ft   in   place   on 
straight  work. 

CONDUCTORS: —For  4x6  sq,  60c  per  If  in  place. 
GOOSENECKS:— Price  at  $4.25  each. 
CONDUCTOR  HEADS:— From  $4.50  to  $8. 

In  November,  1907,  copper  was  about  15c  per  Ib;  at  that 
price  it  is  worth  about  25c  laid  per  sq  ft. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ROOFING 

Benjamin  Franklin  said  that  a  good  roof  is  as  important  as 
a  good  foundation. 

Lead  roofs  which  I  have  often  helped  to  put  on,  are  never 
used  here  and  need  not  be  considered.  Shingle  roofs  are 
taken  care  of  in  Chap  X. 

GRAVEL: — So  far  as  quality  goes  there  are  many  kinds  of 
gravel  roofs.  For  a  permanent  building  it  pays  to  put  on  the 
best.  The  standard  price  for  a  first  class  roof  used  to  be  $5,  but 
$4  is  now  looked  upon  as  a  good  price,  and  some  large  5-ply 
roofs — (4  solid  mopped  sheets,  1  dry  sheet)  are  put  on  for 
even  less  than  $4.  The  danger  line  comes  at  $3.50,  for  such 
work  is  apt  to  be  slighted  at  that  price.  These  figures  do  not 
include  the  flashing  of  walls,  which  the  tinner  attends  to.  Of 
course  gravel  can  be  put  on  flat  roofs  only.  Roofers  prefer  a 
pitch  of  not  more  than  \"  to  the  ft;  it  should  never  exceed  1", 
although  gravel  lies  on  2"  if  well  laid.  Several  years  ago  a 
roofer  gave  me  \"  as  his  ideal  pitch. 

The  price  of  screened  gravel  is  from  $2  to  $2.25  per  cy. 
Gravel  per  sq  without  labor  therefore  costs  about  35c.  Labor 
runs  from  50c  on  low  buildings  with  fairly  large  surf,  to 
70c,  75  and  80c,  when  higher.  On  some  buildings  $1  is  neces- 
sary, but  this  price  is  unusual  and  due  to  special  requirements. 
A  gang  of  7  men  lay  on  an  aver  40  to  50  sqs  in  an  8  hour  day. 
Wages  for  roofers,  35c;  laborers,  20  to  25c. 
WEIGHT:— The  ordinary  weight  of  gravel  on  a  sq  is  400  Ibs; 
on  a  better  class  of  work  450.  The  finished  roof  with  compo- 
sition and  paper  runs  from  550  to  650  Ibs.  A  cy  of  gravel 
covers  about  6  sq  and  weighs  2,700  Ibs.  A  good  roof  would 
run  about  as  follows:  450,  gravel;  80,  composition;  75  felt,  or 
a  total  of  605  Ibs  for  4-ply  and  dry  sheet.  But  20  Ibs  of  compo- 
sition to  the  ply  is  used  on  better  roofs,  and  if  sheets  are 
mopped  all  over  instead  of  at  joints  only  the  wt  runs  to  125 
Ibs.  Ordinary  composition  is  £  tar  and  §  pitch.  Sometimes  i 

tar  is  all  that  can  be  used. 

245 


246  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

COST: — Tar  costs  about  $5  per  bbl  and  pitch  $22  per  ton. 

COVERING:— One  gall  of  tar  with  1  Ib  of  pitch  applied  hot 

will  cover  about  12  sq  yds  the  first  coat,  and  17  the  second. 

(See  end  of  Chap  XXII.) 

CALKING:— For  flooring  joints  allow    2£  to  3c  per  ft. 

PITCH:— A  rough  coat  of  pitch  on  brick  is  worth  about  90c 

per  sq. 

ASPHALT  COATING:— For  two  coats  on  brick  allow  $2.20  per  sq. 

FLOORS: — Sicilian  Rock  asphalt  floors  are  worth  about  18c 

per  sq  ft  laid,  but  this  does  not  include  a  concrete  base  under 

them,  for  cost  of  which  see  Chap  III. 

TAR  FELT: — A  dry  sheet  is  often  put  down  first,  especially 

above  finished  ceilings  to  keep  tar  from  running  through.     It 

weighs  7  Ibs  to  sq.    A  roof  should  not  have  less  than  4  ply 

solid  or  3  ply  and  dry  sheet,  and  it  is  better  to  have  4. 

PAPER:— Roofing  paper  runs  from  12  to  15  Ibs  to  sq;  building 
paper  weighs  about  15  Ibs — but  it  is  necessary  to  remember 
that  red  rosin  and  strawboard  are  sometimes  used  for  build- 
ing paper.  These  two  brands  are  not  used  on  roofs,  but  are 
put  here  for  convenience  among  other  papers.  Packers'  in- 
sulated paper  for  refrigerator  work,  $1  per  sq.  A  roll  of 
strawboard  contains  from  250  to  300  sq  ft,  weighs  approxi- 
mately 50  Ibs,  and  costs  about  $1.25.  Red  rosin  costs  $37  per 
ton;  roofing  paper,  same  price.  Various  kinds  of  red  rosin 
run  from  20  to  40  Ibs.  The  National  brand  of  R.  R.,  40  Ibs  to 
500  ft;  Arctic,  35;  Buckskin,  30;  Columbia,  25  to  500.  Nothing 
below  25  is  worth  using.  The  last  brands 'are  used  as  dry 
sheets. 

PATENT  ROOFS: — There  are  so  many  kinds  of  patent  roof- 
ing materials  that  one  does  not  know  where  to  begin.  They 
are  as  common  as  patent  medicines,  and  except  for  temporary 
purposes,  most  of  them  are  as  worthless.  There  are  some 
good  ones  among  them,  but  the  good  have  to  bear  the  sins  of 
the  bad.  The  price  of  a  few  is  given.  They  are  cheaper  than 
slate  or  even  shingles,  and  they  can  be  put  on  roofs  with  a 
pitch  that  forbids  gravel.  On  steep  roofs  they  are  safer  than 
on  flat. 


ROOFING  247 

Elaterite $4  for  6  X  per  sq 

Actinolite $5  per  sq 

Carey $3.75  to  $4 

Ruberoid $3.25 

CAREY:— Comes  in  rolls  29"  wide.  Sufficient  is  put  in  a  roll 
to  cover  1  sq.  With  each  roll  is  sent  2  gall  magnesia  roof 
paint,  £  gall  lap  cement,  2  Ibs  nails.  The  manufacturers  follow 
the  old  rule  of  measurement.  Do  not  deduct  openings  unless- 
they  are  more  than  50  sq  ft;  if  more  than  50  and  not  more 
than  100,  deduct  half;  if  more  than  100,  deduct  full  size. 
Sheets  are  lapped  li"  and  nailed  every  2".  "  One  man  can 
apply  10  sq  of  cement  roofing  in  the  same  time  It  will  take 
him  to  apply  2  sq  of  shingles.  The  standard  weight  is  about 
90  Ibs  to  the  sq;  extra  heavy,  115.  This  includes  all  mate- 
rials." 

Raw  material  costs  $3  per  sq  fob  Omaha.  A  carload  con- 
tains 300  sq.  Labor  is  about  50c  per  sq. 

ELATERITE:— Comes  in  rolls  32"  wide  x  40'  long,  for  3X,  4X, 
5X,  and  6X.  Each  roll  contains  107',  or  sufficient  to  lay  a  sq 
after  allowing  a  2"  lap.  The  weights  differ :  3X,  33  Ibs  per  sq; 
4X,  45;  5X,  60,  and  6X,  65.  Each  sq  requires  5  Ibs  of  cement^ 
11  oz  of  I"  tin  caps,  and  9  oz  of  1"  barbed  roofing  nails,  which 
are  sent  with  order. 

"  On  small  buildings  with  15  or  20  sq  1  man  will  lay  about  8 
sq  in  a  day;  on  ordinary  buildings  from  25  to  50  sq,  flashing 
included,  10  sq  per  day;  on  large  jobs  of  100  sq  or  more,  20' 
sq."  These  quantities  are  too  high  if  nailing  is  properly  done. 
On  such  material  as  elaterite,  rubberoid,  etc,  labor  is  worth 
about  35c  per  sq.  This  price  was  taken  from  actual  work  over 
large  surfaces.  If  the  higher  figures  are  reached,  so  much 
the  better,  but  the  law  of  averages  needs  to  be  remembered. 

For  shipping  weight,  add  6  Ibs  per  sq  for  the  fastenings. 
Elaterite,  fob  Denver,  Colo.,  costs  $4.25  for  6X;  $3.50  for  5X; 
$3  for  4X,  and  $2.50  for  3X. 

RUBEROID :  —  This  roofing  comes  in  rolls  36"  wide.  Each 
roll  contains  216  sq  ft,  or  enough  to  cover  2  sq.  The  regular 
lap  of  2"  is  allowed,  and  the  nails  are  at  2"  centers.  The 
weights  are  as  follows:  \  ply,  27  Ibs  to  sq;  1  ply,  35;  2  ply, 


248  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

45;  3  ply,  56.  Each  sq  requires  %  gall  of  ruberine;  %  Ib  caps; 
1  Ib  nails,  all  of  which  material  is  sent  with  ruberoid.  The 
following  prices  are  fob  Omaha: 

In  lot  of  less  than     In  lots  of  20    In  lots  of  50     In  lots  of  100 
20  sqs  to  49  sqs  to  99  sqs  sqs  and  up 

|  ply $1.79  per  sq  $1.71  $1.63  $1.54 

1  ply 2.29persq  2.18  2.07  1.96 

2  ply 3. 29  per  sq  3.13  2.97  2.81 

3  ply 4.04persq  3.84  3.64  3.44 

Above  prices  are  for  complete  roofing. 

Extra  Ruberine  Roof  Coating $1.35  per  gal 

Extra  Nails 05  per  Ib 

Extra  Tin  Caps 10  per  Ib 

With  patent  roofs  it  is  in  general  sufficient  to  order  the 
number  of  sq  and  the  necessary  cement,  nails,  caps,  etc,  are 
sent — but  contractors  should  have  a  clear  understanding  with 
supply  men  that  enough  cement  is  to  be  sent  to  finish  the 
work,  as  the  listed  quantities  are  usually  too  low.  Theory  and 
practice  are  different. 

BARRETT  ROOF: — "  The  Barrett  Specification  roof  is  simply 
a  coal  tar  pitch,  felt,  and  gravel  roof , laid  5  plies  of  tarred 
felt,  weighing  not  less  than  14  Ibs  each  to  the  100  sq  ft,  and 
not  less  than  120  Ibs  of  pitch.  The  cost  is  about  same  as  a 
first  class  gravel  roof  $4.50  over  boards,  and  $5  over  con- 
crete." 

SLATE  PRICES: — The  following  prices  fob  quarry  may  be 
taken  for  a  guide,  although  they  sometimes  change.  They 
vary  according  to  size  of  slate: 

Genuine  No.  1  Bangor  with  certificate $4 . 50  to  $6 .00 

No.  1  Bangor  Ribbon,  with  certificate 4  . 00 

No.  2  Bangor  Ribbon,  without  certificate 3 . 25 

No.  1  Pen-Argyle,  Albion,  Jackson 4 . 25  to    5 . 00 

No.  1  Lehigh  and  Pa.  Black 4. 15  to    4.90 

No.  1  Chapman 4 . 25  to    5 .00 

No.  2  Chapman 3.25 

Chapman  Boys 4  . 00 

No.  1  Peach  Bottom 5.25  to    6.75 

No.  1  Peach  Bottom,  3-16  thick,  25c  per  sq  extra. 
No.  1  Peach  Bottom,  %  thick,  $7.50  per  sq,  all  sizes. 

No.  1  Unfading  Green 5        to    5.75 

For  3-16  add  75c  per  sq;  for  \,  add  $3  per  sq;  f ,  add  $10. 


ROOFING  249 

No.  1  Purple $5.00  to  $5.75 

Variegated  purple 3 . 15  to    3 . 90 

No.  1  Sea  green 3 . 00  to    3 . 90 

No.  1  Red 8.50  to  10.50 

For  same  3-16,  add  $1;   i,  $5;  f ,  $11. 

No.  1  Brownville  or  Monson,  Maine 4 . 80  to    7 . 20 

No.  2  Brownville  or  Monson,  Maine 5 .00  to    5 . 50 

For  the  3  best  sizes,  8x16,  10x16,  9x18,  the  following  prices  will 
be  useful: 

No.  1  Gen.  Bangor $5.00  to  $5.25 

No.  1  Pen-Argyle,  Albion,  Jackson 4 . 75  to    5 . 00 

No.  1  Lehigh  or  Pa.  Black 4.65  to    4.90 

No.  1  Chapman 5. 00  to    5.25 

No.  1  Peach  Bottom 6 . 75 

No.  1  Unfading  Green 5 . 75 

No.  1  Purple 5.75 

Variegated 3.60  to    3.90 

No.  1  Sea  Green 3.60  to    3.90 

No.  1  Red 10.50 

Brownville  or  Monson 7. 10  to    7. 20 

FREIGHT  ON  SLATE:— The  freight  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Omaha  is  $2.64  per  sq;  from  Vermont,  $2.55  to  $2.75;  this  and 
hauling  from  cars  to  building  must  be  added  to  material  and 
labor  for  cost  price. 

CEMENT: — The  price  of  roofing  cement  is  4c  per  Ib.  The 
quantity  required  up  hips,  rakes,  and  finishing  course  at  ridge, 
as  per  U.  S.  specifications,  is  about  1  Ib  per  sq  of  whole  surf. 
Large  valley  slate  are  better  not  cemented;  but  small  pcs 
ought  to  be.  "  Use  Elastic  Roof  Cement  up  rake,  under  top 
courses,  and  wherever  small  pcs  are  used,  and  you  will  have 
no  trouble  with  slates  coming  out." 

PRICE  OF  SLATE  LAID: — The  price  per  sq,  laid,  is  given 
under  "Roof  Covering,"  page  28.  Large  slates  are  cheaper 
both  for  material  and  labor  than  small;  an  8x16,  for  example, 
is  worth  laid  about  $1.50  more  than  a  12x22.  Bangor,  Green 
and  Red  slate  weigh  about  650  Ibs  to  the  sq;  Peach  Bottom, 
750;  Monson,  800. 

LABOR: — The  wages  of  slaters  are  40  to  45c  per  hour.    Their 

transportation  and  board  have  to  be  paid  for  work  in  country. 

A  50  Ib  roll  of  No.  3  paper  will  cover  400  sq  ft.    The  cost  of 

laying  it  runs  from  15  to  20c  per  sq.  The  lap  should  be  about 


250  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

3'*.  When  each  slate  is  laid  in  elastic  cement  the  labor  costs 
from  40  to  50%  more — but  although  this  is  sometimes  recom- 
mended, even  government  work  calls  for  only  hips,  ridges,  and 
other  exposed  parts  in  cement.  In  such  case  the  usual  labor 
figure  is  sufficient. 

,  On  the  roof  of  No.  9  containing  82  sq  2  men  put  on  the 
10x16  slate  in  91  hours  each.  The  punching  took  26  hours  ad- 
ditional for  each.  The  punching  took  2  laborers  to  attend  the 
slaters;  the  182  hours  of  slaters'  labor  took  102  of  laborers'; 
total  for  slaters,  208;  for  laborers,  128  hours.  This  is  at  the 
rate  of  6&  sq  per  8  hour  day  for  2  men  with  laborers  in  at- 
tendance on  a  plain  roof.  Patching  afterwards  took  12  hours. 
On  some  roofs,  with  many  hips  and  valleys,  a  day's  work  of 
this  size  of  slate  is  4  sq.  Five  is  passable  on  a  roof  with  an 
aver  amount  of  angles  and  shorter  stretches  than  No.  9.  This 
includes  the  laying  of  the  paper.  Sometimes  the  complete  roof 
is  covered  with  paper  nailed  down  with  laths  to  keep  out  rain 
before  slate  are  laid.  More  time  is  required  to  do  this  than  if 
it  is  put  down  with  slate.  Allow  1|.  to  1£  hours  per  sq.  On 
plain  straight  work  with  gables  a  fair  aver  is  8  sq,  and  some- 
times 10. 

On  No.  11,  which  is  a  type  of  the  worst  kind  of  roofs,  2  men 
in  8  hours  laid  paper  and  averaged  3.6  sq  of  8x10  slate  on  a 
surf  of  65  sqs.  But  laborers'  time — 100  hours — has  to  be  added 
to  slaters'  for  the  complete  cost.  A  good  illustration  of  the 
difference  between  a  plain  and  a  complicated  roof  is  given  in 
Nos.  9  and  11. 

On  some  towers  1  sq  is  enough  for  1  man. 

The  rear  and  side  walls  of  No.  10  were  slated — allow  $1  per 
sq  extra  for  labor  on  plumb. 

PUNCHING: — One  manufacturers'  listed  price  for  punching 
at  the  quarry  runs  as  follows:  22  and  24"  slate,  10c  per  sq; 
18  and  20,  15c;  16"  slate  and  under,  20c;  slate  are  drilled  and 
countersunk  at  dbl  the  foregoing  prices.  Government  work  is 
always  D  and  C.  When  slate  are  full  &  thick  the  price  is  50c; 
when  full  i,  $1.  Another  list  gives  30c  as  the  lowest  price, 
and  for  small  and  aver  slate  this  price  is  regularly  charged. 
Quarry  punching  is  cheaper  than  punching  by  hand;  the  82  sq 


ROOFING  25L 

of  No.  9  cost  about  45c  and  that  was  with.  1&"  slate.  But 
slaters  often  punch  by  hand  for  the  following  reasons : 

(1)  Ordinary  slate  come  in  3  thicknesses,  and  if  the  roof" 
is  properly  laid,  each  thickness  is  put  by  itself  so  that  the 
slate  in  the  next  course  will  lie  flat  and  not  leave  a  space  for 
wind  and  rain.     They  have  thus  to  be  selected  in  any  case, 
and  the  punching  is  done  at  the  same  time. 

(2)  If  slate  come  punched  there  is  no  chance  of  reversing, 
them  if  the  corner  is  broken  off.    The  nail  hole  can  not  well 
be  exposed. 

QUANTITY: — Roofs  are  measured  for  slate  in  the  same  way 
as  for  shingles,  but  the  projection  of  the  slate  over  the  eave 
ought  to  be  allowed  extra,  and  also  the  doubling  of  courses 
there  which  adds  1  exposure.  But  this  under  eave  course,  with, 
the  3"  standard  lap,  need  be  only  1£"  longer  than  half  the- 
length  of  the  slate  used.  If  work  is  done  by  the  sq  some  trade- 
rules  will  be  applied  as  with  brick,  plaster,  painting,  etc. 
Hips  and  valleys,  for  example,  are  allowed  6"  on  each  side 
extra  for  waste;  in  contract  work  slaters  usually  omit  this  ft 
and  depend  upon  stretching  the  course  4"  to  make  up  the  loss, 
just  as  is  often  done  with  shingles.  With  both  slate  and: 
shingles  courses  have  to  be  spaced  to  show  the  last  course  at 
ridge  of  about  the  same  width  as  the  rest  of  the  roof,  and  a 
strict  adherence  to  the  letter  of  the  specification;  would  spoil 
the  spirit  of  the  work. 

The  actual  surf  and  eave  course  give  the  quantity  to  be- 
ordered,  but  1%  extra  is  needed  for  waste  unless  the  roof  is 
very  plain. 

Slate  are  ordered  in  sqs  and  a  sq  lays  100  sq  ft  at  the  stand- 
ard lap  of  3".  The  smallest  carload  is  50  sq,  and  the  largest. 
90.  In  less  than  carload  lots  the  cost  for  freight  is  about  dbl. 
It  takes  about  12  hours  to  unload  a  small  ear  on  the  ground. 
On  some  slate  certificates  are  given,  so  that  the  owner  may  be- 
sure  of  what  he  is  getting. 

Bangor  slate  must  be  loaded  separately  to  secure  certificate. 
Sea  Green,  Unfading  Green,  Red  or  Purple,  can  be  loaded  in. 
the  same  car.  There  are  many  grades  of  Bangor. 


252  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

DESCRIPTION. 

"Peach  Bottom": — A  hard  black  slate  of  glossy  appear- 
ance, strong,  and  of  uniform  color. 

"  Brownville,"  Maine: — A  black  slate  of  uniform  color, 
smooth,  glossy  surf,  and  strong. 

"  Monson,  Maine: — A  slate  of  a  dead  black  color,  and 
strong. 

"Black  Bangor,"  Pennsylvania: — A  strong,  good  slate. 

"Unfading  Green": — A  gray-green  slate  of  unfading  color. 

"Sea  Green": — Does  not  fade  equally. 

"Variegated": — A  slate  composed  of  purple  and  green. 
Strong  quality  but  will  not  hold  its  color. 

"Red": — Excellent  slate,  but  high  priced. 

"Purple": — A  slate  of  that  color.  The  present  production 
is  small. 

"  Slatington  or  Lehigh": — A  blue  slate  produced  along  the 
Lehigh  River  in  the  vicinity  of  Slatington,  Pennsylvania. 
Generally,  a  low-priced  slate. 

All  slates  fade — but  good  slates  fade  evenly. 

TABLE  SHOWING  THE  SIZE  OF  SLATE 


Jcr    PJS        s£  gc       »o,  pig      s? 

•=M     &«5^          a"?  °M        -Scc    8-£5^       .a  "3 


o         w^~  '30  8  d       w-a-eo         '30 

fc  ^g  ^^  12  ^          ^a          ^^ 

Lbs       Ozs 
2  3 

2          7 
2         12 

2  9 

3  3 
3         11 

3  15 

4  8 

5  4 


For  heavy  slate  allow  20%  more  of  4d  nails. 

"  To  determine  the  number  of  pcs  to  a  sq  of  any  size  slate 
not  given,  first  deduct  3'  from  the  length;  divide  this  by  2; 
mult  by  the  width  of  slate  and  divide  the  result  into  14,400. 


Lbs 

Ozs 

24x14 

98 

10i" 

1 

16x10 

222 

24x12 

115 

ior 

1 

2 

16x  9 

247 

22x12 

127 

9i/r 

1 

4 

16x  8 

277 

22x11 

138 

9£// 

1 

6 

14x10 

262 

20x12 

142 

8|* 

1 

6 

14x  8 

328 

20x10 

170 

8|* 

1 

11 

14x  7 

374 

18x12 

160 

ry 

1 

9 

12x  8 

400 

18x10 

192 

i\" 

1 

14 

12x  7 

457 

18x  9 

214 

i\" 

2 

1 

12x  6 

534 

16x12 

185 

6$" 

1 

13 

ROOFING  25^ 

An  example — 20x10  would  be  calculated  thus:  20 — 3=17 
divided  by  2=S£,  8£xlO=85.  85  divided  into  14,400—169  41-100 
pcs." 

LAP: — The  standard  lap  is  3",  but  2  is  enough  on  towers, 
steep  roofs,  etc.  This  of  course  changes  the  number  of  slate 
required.  More  than  3"  lap  is  seldom  used,  but  where  it  is 
the  slate  must  be  watched  at  butt,  as  they  may  not  lie  close 
to  lower  course.  The  best  sizes  are  8x16,  10x16,  9x18,  on 
ordinary  roofs;  smaller  sizes  are  used  on  towers. 
NAILS:— If  copper  nails  are  used  allow  60c  per  sq  extra.  They 
run  from  20  to  25c  per  Ib.  Small  slate,  of  course,  require  more 
nails  than  large.  For  some  tile  $1  is  not  too  much. 

Ordinary  tinned  or  galv  slate  nails  cost  from  $4  to  $5.50  per 
keg. 

HAULING: — Hauling  of  slate  and  tile  sometimes  amounts  to 
a  sum  worth  watching.  The  distance  from  a  railroad  has  to 
be  considered;  50c  per  ton  in  the  city  might  run  to  $2  in  the 
country. 

FLASHING:— Flashing  is  not  included  in  the  figures  for  slate 
and  tile. 

SNOW  GUARDS. 

The  following  prices  are  for  Baird's  patent.  Pipe  is  not  in- 
cluded. Use  f "  galv.  (See  price  in  Chap  XVIII.)  Three  pipes 
are  used  in  height.  Standards  for  guards  are  placed  about  5' 
apart.  Allow  Ic  per  ft  for  putting  pipe  in  place. 

PRICE  LIST 

The  iron  plate  is  made  the  size  of  roofing  slate  and  of  suit- 
able thickness  to  lie  properly  with  regulation  thickness  (&"). 


Price  of  each  GUARD 

Price  of  each  GUARD 

Size  of  Slate 

complete 

Size  of  Slate 

complete 

14x  7 

$1.55 

20x10 

$2.10 

14x  8 

1.60 

20x12 

2.40 

16x  8 

1.70 

22x11 

2.40 

16x  9 

1.80 

22x12 

2.50 

16x10 

1.85 

24x12 

2.65 

18x  9 

1.85 

24x14 

3.10 

18x10 

2.00 

254  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

BLACKBOARDS. 

The  standard  widths  of  slate  blackboards  are  3',  3'  6",  4', 
IT.  The  thickness  is  i  to  \" .  The  price  runs  from  15c  per  sq 
ft  on  the  narrowest  to  18c  on  the  widest.  Add  freight,  40c  per 
•cwt.  Setting  is  worth  3c  per  sq  ft. 

TILE. 

PRICE: — Interlocking  tile  run  to  about  $16  per  sq  laid.  On 
smaller  buildings  allow  about  $19  to  $20.  Shingle  tile,  which 
does  not  interlock,  $16  on  large  surfaces;  $18  on  small  build- 
ings. Spanish  tile  run  about  $20.  Something,  of  course,  de- 
pends upon  the  style  of  the  roof.  With  many  angles  and 
•dormers,  tke  cost  runs  higher,  and  towers  reach  as  high  in  the 
dollar  col  as  they  do  in  the  air.  For  towers  and  domer 
windows  allow  approximately  $30.  Some  will  cost  more,  but 
the  aver  of  the  roof  will  bury  the  sorrow.  These  figures  do 
not  include  strips  to  hold  tile  on  roof.  (See  Part  I,  page  29 
for  a  fair  price.) 

"  Prices  of  tile  vary  from  $6  to  $30  at  factory,  and  of  ridge 
and  hip  rolls,  from  15  to  50c  per  ft."  Spanish  tile  cost  about 
$50  per  1,000,  Shingle  tile  about  $10  per  sq  fob  factory,  St. 
Louis.  Some  interlocking  tile  can  be  bought  at  factory  for  $9 
per  sq;  hips,  25c  per  ft;  ridging,  50c;  finials  for  the  standard 
of  2  hips,  $3.50  each — add  50c  for  each  additional  hip,  as  on 
octagons,  dormers,  etc,  with  more  than  2  way  terminals. 
Green  tile  cost  $5  per  sq  extra. 

MATERIAL: — For  Ludowici  tile,  1x2  strips  are  usually  laid 
13g"  centers.  For  Spanish  tile  1x2  are  also  used.  Shingle  tile 
do  not  require  strips,  except  a  lath  at  eave  the  same  as  for 
slate.  Some  tiles  are  laid  without  strips,  some  are  spaced  at 
10};  the  style  selected  must  be  examined  before  the  bill  of 
material  is  made  out.  If  roof  is  without  sheathing,  heavier 
strips  are  necessary. 

Shingle  tiles  are  made  6x12,  6}xl2£,  etc,  the  exact  size  de- 
pending upon  the  maker.  A  §  tile  weighs  from  900  to  1,000 
Ibs  per  sq;  £,  1,350.  The  first  course  is  doubled  like  shingles 
and  slate.  Shorter  tile  are  used  for  starters — about  6Jx9.  The 


ROOFING  255 

finishers,  or  ridge  tile,  are  about  the  same  size.  Half  tile  are 
required  at  gables,  chimneys,  etc,  to  break  courses.  These  are 
about  3x12,  and  must  be  rights  and  lefts  if  not  of  plain  pattern. 
In  general  it  is  far  better  to  send  roof  plan  to  factory  and  have 
order  made  out  there. 

QUANTITY: — About  440  shingle  tile  are  required  to  the  sq  at 
an  exposure  of  5i  with  tile  12£"  long;  at  5"  with  12"  tile,  480. 
Each  tile  requires  2  4d,  or  1£  galv  wire  nails,  but  sometimes 
copper  nails  are  used.  Roofing  felt  should  be  put  on.  Elastic 
slaters'  cement  is  required  for  valleys.  Connor's,  Heltzell's  or 
Pecora  brands  are  recommended.  Finials,  crestings  and  hip 
rolls  should  be  laid  in  Puzzolan  Portland  cement  colored  to 
match  the  tile.  This  cement  does  not  saltpeter — most  roofers 
have  never  heard  of  it,  and  use  the  common  brand. 

Shingle  tile  are  made  in  a  variety  of  colors  and  patterns. 
There  is  an  endless  variety  of  ridge  rolls,  hip  rolls,  starters, 
finials,  etc.  The  prices  are  as  various  as  the  patterns.  A  mini- 
mum carload  runs  from  24,000  to  30,000  Ibs.  Freight  rates  are 
more  than  dbl  on  less  than  carloads.  Ludowici  glass  tile, 
9x13,  60c  each. 

Interlocking  tiles  are  of  so  many  different  sizes  that  the 
catalog  must  be  consulted  for  number  and  weight.  The  aver 
weight  is  about  750  Ibs,  but  some  run  to  850.  The  number 
varies  from  135  to  290.  Tower  tiles  require  from  400  to  600. 
Spanish  tiles  run  to  about  220,  although  catalog  gives  only  200. 

FELT: — Roofing  felt  weighing  40  Ibs  to  sq  is  necessary.  It 
should  be  nailed  to  roof  with  permanent  laths  spaced  24". 
Above  lath  1x2  wood  strips  are  nailed  to  suit  spacing.  Dbl  at 
eave;  run  up  valley,  and  also  perpendicular  walls. 
LABOR: — Some  interlocking  tiles  are  not  nailed  down  like 
slate  or  shingle  tiles:  "Every  tile  in  the  eave  course,  and 
every  other  tile  in  each  course  above,  to  be  fastened  to  the 
sheathing  with  No.  20  copper  wire  through  a  staple  nailed  to 
sheathing  and  through  a  hole  in  the  tile."  This  is  not  always 
done.  If  it  is,  a  day's  work  for  2  men  should  not  be  set  at 
more  than  5  sq. 

On  a  roof  of  Spanish  or  interlocking  tile  2  men  can  lay  from 
8  to  10  sqs  in  an  8  hour  day.  With  a  complicated  roof  like 


256  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

No.  11,  half  of  this  is  enough.  This  allowance  is  taken  from 
a  recent  large  contract.  On  shingle  tile  allow  6  to  8  sqs  for  2 
men  with  laborers,  as  for  slate.  If  like  No.  11,  4  sq.  For 
towers,  dormers,  etc,  2  sqs.  On  a  long  plain  roof  of  Ludowici 
an  allowance  of  $4.40  was  made  by  experts  for  labor.  The 
smaller  the  tile,  as  a  rule,  the  longer  time,  as  each  piece  has  to 
be  handled  separately;  and  the  greater  the  number  of  nails. 
(For  tin,  galv  iron,  and  copper  roofing,  see  Chap  XV.) 

A  WESTERN  PRICE  LIST  OF  PAPERS 

SHEATHING 

Per  Roll 

X  Red  Rosin,  20  Ibs  per  Roll,  500  sq  ft $0.38 

XX  Red  Rosin,  25  Ibs  per  Roll,  500  sq  ft 48 

XXX  Red  Rosin,         30  Ibs  per  Roll,  500  sq  ft 57 

XXXX  Red  Rosin,     35  Ibs  per  Roll,  500  sq  ft 66 

XXXXX  Red  Rosin.  40  Ibs  per  Roll,  500  sq  ft 76 

Black  Waterproof,  3  ply,  500  sq  ft . 95 

Cracker  Jack,  (white  fibre  sheet)  500  sq  ft SO 

Blue  Plaster  Board,  500  sq  ft 2.00 

Blue  Plaster  Board  250  sq  ft 1.25 

Thread  Felt,  500  sq  ft 1.00 

Thread  Felt,  250  sq  ft 60 

No.  4  Manilla,  500  sq  ft 1.00 

Perfection  Waterproof  fibre.  32"  rolls,  500  sq  ft 1.10 

Perfection  Waterproof  fibre,  32"  rolls,  250  sq  ft 60 

INSULATING 

Per  Roll 

No.  1  Red  Rope,  500  sq  ft,  30  to  32  Ibs  per  roll $1.90 

XXX  Red  Rope,  500  sq  ft,  40  to  42  Ibs  per  roll 2.50 

ASBESTOS 

(100  Lb  Rolls)  Per  100  Lbs 

10  Ibs  per  100  sq  ft $4.50 

12  Ibs  per  100  sq  ft 4.50 

14  Ibs  per  100  sq  ft 4.50 

20  Ibs  per  100  sq  ft 4.50 

DEADENING  FELT 

Per  100  Lbs 

Square  Brand,  1  Ib   to  sq  yd,  450  sq  ft  to  roll $2.60 

Square  Brand,  1$  Ibs  to  sq  yd,  450  sq  ft  to  roll, 2.60 

Extra  Heavy,   2  Ibs  to  sq  yd,  450  sq  ft  to  roll 2.60 


ROOFING  257 

CARPET  LINING 

Per  Roll  15  to  50  Rolls 

Plain  Cedar,  50  yds  to  roll $0.55  $0.50 

Corrugated  Cedar,  50  yds  to  roll 60  .55 

3  Ply  Folded,  50  yds  to  roll 2.50  2.25 

ROOFING  PAPERS 

Per  Roll 

2  Ply  Prepared,  108  sq  ft  fabric $0.90 

3  Ply  Prepared,  108  sq  ft  fabric 1.25 

TARRED  FELT 

Per  100  Lbs 

No.  1  Tarred  Felt,  21  Ibs  to  sq $1.65 

No.  2  Tarred  Felt,  16  Ibs  to  sq 1.65 

No.  3  Tarred  Felt,  12  Ibs  to  sq 1.65 

OZOKERITE  RUBBER  ROOFING 

32  inches  wide,  40£'  long,  108  sq  ft.  Fabric,  nails,  caps  and 
cement  for  laps,  and  directions  for  applying  packed  inside 
each  roll. 

Per  Roll 

1  Ply,  34  Ibs  to  roll $1.30 

2  Ply,  44  Ibs  to  roll 1.65 

3  Ply,  54  Ibs  to  roll 2.00 

ROOFING  MATERIAL 

Per  Lb 

Roofing  Tins 7c 

Roofing  Nails 7c 

EASTERN  NEPONSET  PAPERS,  ETC. 

Price  Weight 

Neponset  Red  Waterproof $1.20  12  Ibs 

Neponset  Black  Waterproof 45  9  Ibs 

Florian  Sound-Deadening  Felt 70  9  Ibs 

Paroid  Roofing,  1  Ply 2.50  35  Ibs 

Paroid  Roofing,  2  Ply 3.25  45  Ibs 

Paroid  Roofing,  3  Ply 4.00  55  Ibs 

Price  and  weight  are  per  sq  (unlaid). 

Neponset  Red  is  sometimes  used  for  a  cheap  roofing,  and 
for  this  purpose  is  packed  with  nails,  tin  caps,  etc.  There  are 


258 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


three  sizes  of  rolls-500,  250,  and  100  sq  ft.    It  is  also  used  for 
the  best  work  on  walls. 

The  black  is  a  cheaper  paper  to  go  under  floors,  siding  etc 
—500,  and  250  sq  ft. 

Both  papers  are  made  in  36"  widths  only. 


CHAPTEE  XVII 

PAINTING. 

MEASUREMENT: — Somewhere,  years  ago,  I  saw  a  rule  to 
the  following  effect:  "Painting  is  measured  wherever  the 
brush  touches."  That  is  the  rule  we  follow.  Glass,  except 
small  sizes  is  now  deducted  by  the  leading  painters  and  the 
price  raised  accordingly.  Actual  surf  only  is  taken  so  that 
quantities  can  be  made  out  from  first  estimate. 

So  far  as  taking  off  quantities  is  concerned,  a  carpenter  can 
usually  do  this  much  easier  and  quicker  than  a  regular 
painter,  because  he  already  has  the  number  of  sq  ft  of  ceiling, 
wainscoting,  and  floors;  the  number  of  openings,  the  If  of 
base,  and  a  dozen  other  factors  of  the  complete  bill  at  his 
service,  while  the  painter  would  have  to  go  over  the  plan 
anew,  and  probably  get  mixed  on  the  carpenter's  specifica- 
tion. 

Windows  and  doors  are  easily  measured.  Deduct  the  glass 
from  the  wood  surf,  and  do  not  be  too  exact.  The  aver  door 
has  about  6  yds  for  both  sides;  window,  2  to  a  side,  as  the  1 
may  be  oiled  and  the  other  painted.  If  glass  is  not  deducted1 
painters  allow  from  3  to  4  yds  to  each  side  of  a  window.  Our 
method  allows  half  and  doubles  the  price. 

For  porch  cornices,  rails,  balusters,  lattices,  and  such  orna- 
mental work,  it  is  hard  to  give  a  rule  that  will  fit  all  cases. 
Get  the  surf  roughly  and  raise  the  price  to  suit  the  work.  The 
material  does  not  cost  much,  but  the  time  is  anywhere  from 
2  to  10  times  longer  than  on  plain  work.  The  aver  building 
does  not  have  so  very  much  ornamental  work  in  proportion 
to  the  complete  number  of  yds,  and  .a  slight  mistake  on  the 
front  porch  does  not  seriously  affect  the  total. 

Of  course,  no  one  ever  thinks  of  measuring  each  baluster 
or  spindle  separately — exactness  is  not  possible  on  grilles  and 
such  work;  and  a  painter  who  stands  by  actual  surf  measure- 
ment will  yet  run  his  rule  across  a  row  of  spindles  and  for- 

259 


260  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

get  to  make  any  deduction.  It  is  on  such  work  that  time  is 
consumed. 

SPHERES: — A  painter  has  sometimes  to  gild  large  balls  with 
gold  leaf,  and  it  is  important  to  get  the  exact  surf.  For  the 
surf  of  a  sphere  mult  the  sq  of  the  diam  by  3.1416.  Thus  a 
sphere  10'  in  diam  has  314  sq  ft,  for  10  mult  by  10=100, 
which  mult  by  3.1416  gives  314.16  sq  ft.  Another  5'  diam 
has  78.54  sq  ft. 

GOLD  LEAF: — A  pack  of  gold  leaf  contains  20  books,  and 
each  book  has  24  leaves.  A  leaf  is  3£"  sq.  Allow  50%  for 
waste.  A  pack  costs  $8.  Allow  $20  a  pack  for  putting  on  leaf, 
Nos.  3  and  4  were  not  sublet,  and  I  had  exact  figures  for 
surf  material,  and  labor,  but  do  not  now  have  all  of  them  at 
hand.  I  have  some  data  from  No.  2. 

QUANTITY:— There  are  2,000  yds  of  3  coat  white  paint  out- 
side and  inside  on  No.  2.  Glass  is  not  included,  but  only 
actual  surf.  Wages  were  30c.  The  actual  cost  was  22c  per 
yd.  Labor  was  13c;  material,  9c  per  yd.  The  work  should 
not  have  cost  more  than  20c,  but  country  painters  are  slow. 
The  proportions  were:  Labor,  $260;  lead,  $100;  oil,  $29.25; 
turpentine,  $10.45;  tools,  etc,  $15;  pigments,  $5. 

PAINT  QUANTITY  TABLE  FOR  100  ACTUAL  YDS 

Kind  of  Work  Lbs  or     Gall 

Lead  and  oil  priming  (own  mixing) ;•.•••  40  2 J 

Lead  and  oil  prim  ing,  and  1  coat  (own  mixing)  56  to  80  3J  to  5 
Lead  and  oil  priming  average  1  coat  (own  mix- 

ing) 72  4} 

Lead  and  oil  priming,  and  2  coats  (own  mixing)  100  6£ 
Allow  7  to  10%  more  for  common  brick 

work 

Size  on  plaster 1  glue  1 

Lead  and  oil  on  plaster,  2  coats 56  3$ 

Enamel  on  plaster,  1  coat 3 J 

Mineral  on  rough  wood,  1  coat 21 

Mineral  on  smooth  wood,  1  coat 15 . 7  1$ 

Mineral  on  tin,  1  coat 13  1| 

(For  compressed  air  quantities,  see  page  275) 

Graphite 1J  to  2$ 

Shingles  (See  page  269)  

Putty,  2  Ibs  per  house  room,  for  new  frame...  

Putty,  1  Ib  per  house  room,  for  old  frame... .  •  •  •  •  •  •  •  • 


PAINTING  261 

Kind  of  Work  Lbs      or      Gall 

Putty,  1  lb  per  house  room,  brick,  new 

Putty,  \  Ib  per  house  room,  brick,  old 

Putty,  average  from  1  to  2  Ibs  to  100  yds  new 

brick .... 

Putty,  average  from  2£  to  3  Ibs  to  100  yds,  new 

frame ....  .... 

Putty,  see  figure  for  2200  yds,  page  265. 
Steel  painting  (See  page  265). 

INSIDE  WORK 

Liquid  filler 2 

Paste  filler  (reduced  for  last  col.) 20  to  25  3 

Water  stain,  open  wood ....  1£ 

Water  stain,  close  hardwood ....  1£ 

Water  stain,  soft  wood ....  2£ 

Spirit  stain,  as  above 3 

Spirit  stain,  as  above 2f 

Spirit  stain,  as  above ....  4J 

Oil  stain,  all  woods ....  1  £ 

Varnish,  etc,  1  coat 2    to  2$ 

Varnish,  etc,  2  coats 4 

Varnish,  etc,  3  coats 5 J 

Shellac,  1  coat 1£  to  ll 

Wax. . 7  .... 

Graining  (color  in  oil) 4  .... 

Calsomine ....  6 

Varnish  remover ....  6 

COLD  WATER  PAINT 

See  allowances  on  page  275. 

WALL  AND  WATERPROOF  PREPARATIONS 

See  pages  110,  147,  276. 

Further  on  it  will  be  noted  that  on  No.  7  the  amount  of 
paint  required  was  100  Ibs  to  100  yds  for  2  coat  work,  instead 
of  for  3  coat  .  This  allowance  is  large  enough  for  3  ordinary 
coats,  but  special  cases  change  the  quantities. 

MATERIAL   REQUIRED  FOR  10  GALLS  OF  PAINT 

Mineral              Lead             Oil  Turpentifcr 

Priming 33  Ibs          10  gall  

Priming 110  Ibs      7  gall  

Other  coats  (each) 120  Ibs      5  gall  £  gall 

Pigments  (colors) 3  to  5  Ibs  ,  

Do  not  use  turpentine  for  outside  work. 


262  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

ROOFING  AND  METAL  WORK 

Dry  red  lead 128 

Pure  boiled  linseed  oil 1.4  gall 

Pure  raw  linseed  oil ....         2.8  gall 

Pure  lampblack  in  oil 17  oz 

COST  PER  GALLON 

Mineral  Lead  and  Oil 

33  Ibs  mineral  3c $1.00      100  lead  (priming) $7.70 

10  gall  oil,  50c 5.00          7  gall  oil 3.50 

Mixing .60      Mixing .60 

$6.60  $11.80 

Cost,  66c  per  gall,  or  6c  per  Ib.  Cost  per  gall,  $1.18,  or  7Jc  per  Ib. 
Mineral  may  sometimes  be  had  for  a  cent  per  Ib. 

SECOND  COAT  LEAD  AND  OIL 

120  Ibs  lead $8.40 

5  gall  oil 2.50 

$  gall  turpentine .35 

Mixing .60 

Pigments  (if  used),  3J  Ibs  at  20c .70 

$12.55 
Cost  per  gall,  $1.26,  or  8c  per  Ib. 

PRIMING:— "The  Painters'  Magazine"  says:  By  far  the  best 
priming  is  pure  white  lead  and  oil — 100  Ibs  of  lead  to  6  galls  of 
pure  raw  linseed  oil  and  one  quart  of  pure  oil  and  turpentine. 
Japan  in  addition.  This  is  for  soft  wood.  For  yp  the  oil 
should  be  reduced  to  about  5$  galls,  and  turpentine  used  for 
the  deficiency. 

Some  say,  again,  that  boiled  oil  should  be  used  without 
turpentine.  The  boiled  is  generally  used. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  AND  EXCEPTIONS 

If  you  ask  a  score  of  different  painters  how  much  material 
is  required  for  a  certain  surf  you  will  have  a  score  of  differ- 
ent answers.  It  is  the  same  with  all  figures  given  in  trade 
publications.  So  much  depends  upon  the  lumber  covered  that 
it  is  hard  to  be  exact.  If  it  is  undressed  it  takes  about  twice 
as  much  as  when  it  is  smooth;  inside  painting  takes  less  than 
upon  a  cornice  where  it  may  be  applied  with  a  large  brush. 


PAINTING  263 

LEAD  PAINT: — Two  local  agents  allow  1  gall  to  300  sq  ft,  2 
coats.  It  is  too  little  on  rough  wood.  A  painter  who  has 
dealt  in  unusually  large  quantities  informs  me  that  1  Ib  of 
lead  covers  33  sq  ft,  and  that  each  gall  weighs  15  Ibs,  thus 
allowing  1  gall  to  495'  for  one  coat,  or  practically  the  same 
as  the  agents  for  2  coats,  because  the  material  goes  further 
on  the  second. 

MINERAL  PAINT: — For  mineral  paint  he  estimates  675  sq  ft 
on  wood,  and  900  on  iron,  1  coat.  These  surfaces  are  at 
least  10%  too  large  unless  on  very  smooth  wood  or  tin.  Min- 
eral weighs  about  10£  Ibs.  For  varnish  his  allowance  is  700 
sq  ft,  1  coat.  For  varnish  500'  at  most  is  enough,  although 

5  galls  recently  covered  350  yds. 

MIXED  PAINT: — A  firm  of  mixed  paint  manufacturers  sends 
me  the  following  data:  "  A  gall  of  our  paint  weighs  from  12 
to  16  Ibs — white  being  the  heaviest  and  dark  shades  the  light- 
est. A  gall  will  cover  about  375  sq  ft,  1  coat;  225,  2  coats; 
and  150,  3  coats,  varying  according  to  surf.  Our  roof  and 
barn  paints  weigh  about  12  to  13  Ibs  to  gall,  varying  but 
slightly  on  account  of  shade.  A  bbl  of  mixed  paint  contains 
from  50  to  53  galls.  A  gall  of  our  shingle  stain  is  sufficient  to 
dip  about  400  shingles,  or  if  used  with  a  brush  will  cover  150 
sq  ft,  1  coat,  or  100,  2  coats." 

Their  list  contains  more  than  250  different  colors.  About 
%  gall  of  oil  for  thinning  is  required  for  each  10  Ibs  of  ready- 
mixed  paint. 

ROOFING  PAINTS: — Roofing  paints  are  often  adulterated. 
They  should  run  about  as  high  in  price  as  linseed  oil,  which 
is  usually  from  50  to  55c  per  gall. 

AN  EXPERT: — An  old  painter  makes  the  following  contribu- 
tion to  the  sum  of  our  knowledge :  "  Two  coats  require  from 

6  to  9  Ibs  to  the  100  sq  ft,  7  Ibs  being  about  the  aver.    Add 
3  Ibs  if  3d  coat  is  put  on.     The  weight  is  given  for  paint  al- 
ready mixed.     The  first  coat  on  new  wood  should  have  from 
6  to  7  galls  of  oil  to  100  Ibs  of  lead;  second  coat  about  5.    A 
gall  of  linseed  oil  weighs  about  7i  Ibs,  and  estimating  that  the 
work  will  take  6  gall  of  oil  to  100  Ibs  of  lead,  every  100  Ibs  of 


264  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

lead  will  make  145  Ibs  of  mixed  paint,  the  ground  pigments 
for  tinting  perhaps  making  it  150  Ibs,  or  about  10  galls.  The 
labor  for  1  man  runs  from  200'  to  1,800,  with  an  aver  of 
1,000  in  10  hours." 

EXPERTS: — That  is  from  a  printed  article.  The  following  is 
from  one  of  the  best  firms  in  Omaha:  "  Allow  1  gall  of  paint 
to  45  yds,  1  coat;  the  other  coats  do  not  take  so  much.  For 
an  8  hour  day  aver  35  yds  for  1  man,  but  on  certain  classes  of 
work  he  can  do  100.  On  plaster  with  plain  work  he  should  do 
150" 

"Allow  1  Ib  of  glue  at  20c  for  100  yds  of  size;  2  galls  of 
boileC  linseed  oil  for  100  yds  of  maple  floor,  2  coats ;  2  galls  of 
varnish  for  50  yds  of  inside  finish,  2  coats;  1  gall  of  paste 
filler  to  36  yds.  Berry  Bros,  luxbery  in  bbls,  $2  to  $2.25  per 
gall;  common  wood  alcohol  shellac,  $1.75  in  bbls;  grain 
alcohol,  white  shellac,  $2.90.  Radiator  enamel  is  $2.25  per 
gall,  so  that  if  this  work  is  included  the  price  of  the  raw 
material  must  be  taken  into  account.  Shellac  covers  more 
surf  than  varnish — allow  J  gall  of  the  1  to  1  gall  of  the  other. 
It  is  put  on  in  about  half  the  time." 

COLORS: — Allow  from  3  to  5  Ibs  of  pigments  for  mixing  100 
Ibs  of  lead.  The  shade  decides  the  quantity. 
FILLERS: — A  gall  of  liquid  filler  is  enough  for  50  yds;  and  in 
general  10  Ibs  of  paste  filler  will  cover  the  same  surf,  al- 
though 1,500  yds  of  hardwood  on  No.  3  took  500  Ibs,  but  the 
glass  was  not  deducted.  Paste  filler  costs  lOc  per  Ib.  Do  not 
use  a  liquid  filler  on  oak,  ash,  or  any  wood  with  open  grain. 

VARNISH  for  outside  work  costs  $4.50  per  gall.  Aver  varnish 
weighs  about  8£  per  gall. 

HARDWOOD  STAINS:— From  $1  to  $2  per  gall. 
VARIETY: — One  painter  gives  1  gall  to  45  yds,  1  coat;  the 
other,  who  handles  large  quantities  of  lead  paint,  gives  his  al- 
lowance at  55  yds.  The  weight  is  15  to  16  Ibs  to  gall,  I  find 
3  different  authorities  who  publish  the  following  allowance, 
which  the  one  has  probably  copied  from  the  other :  "  1  Ib  to  4 
sq  yds  for  1st  coat;  and  1  Ib  to  6  sq  yds  for  each  additional 
coat." 


PAINTING  265 

PUTTY: — All  the  authorities  agree  on  putty — 5  Ibs  to  100  yds. 
This  is  too  much. 

On  No.  22  with  2,200  yds,  without  glass  being  included,  only 
10  Ibs  were  used,  but  that  is  a  brick  building. 

A  house  of  6  to  8  rooms  takes  about  2  Ibs  when  new,  and 
half  that  amount  when  repainted. 

Cost  of  putty  is  about  3c  per  Ib  in  small  lots. 

RUBBING  DOWN  HARDWOOD:— For  rubbing  down  100  yds: 

5  Ibs  Petroleum  Stock  3  Ibs  powdered  Pumice 

1  gall  Kerosene  8  to  10  Ibs  Waste 

See  also  "Steel  Wool,"  page  272. 

PAINT*  ON  BRICK:— New  brickwork  requires  a  little  more 
than  wood.  The  first  coat  takes  more,  but  the  second  less 
than  wood.  Mineral  paint  is  sometimes  used  on  brick.  As- 
phalt paint  used  on  pipes,  brick,  etc,  costs  about  85c  per 
gall. 

PAINT  ON  STEEL: — For  iron  and  steel  allow  per  gall  as 
follows,  according  to  a  popular  work: 

SqFt 

1  Coat  2  Coats 

Pure  Linseed  Oil 875 

White  Lead,  Ground  in  Oil 500  300 

Graphite,  Ground  in  Oil 360          215 

Black  Asphalt 515  310 

Iron  Oxide,  Ground  in  Oil 630  375 

Red  Lead,  Powdered 630  375 

Approximately  \  gall  of  paint  per  ton  of  metal  for  1st 
coat  and  §  gall  for  2d.  For  1£  galls  of  graphite  paint  allow 
5  Ibs  of  paste  and  1  gall  of  oil.  Paste  costs  about  13c  per  Ib. 
Steel  mills  charge  about  $1.50  per  ton  for  1  coat  of  paint. 
After  erection,  $2  to  $4.  For  cleaning  old  steel  and  iron 
bridges,  etc,  allow  3c  per  sq  ft  of  surf  or  approx  from  $1  to 
$1.75  per  ton  of  metal. 

STEEL  MILL  DATA:— A  large  eastern  steel  mill  gives  the 
following  data: 


266  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Sq  Ft 

Volume  of      Lbs  of   Vol  and  Wt  of  Paint    1          2 
Paint  Oil,  Gall      Pigment       Gall       Lbs          Coat  Coats 

Iron  oxide  powdered 1  8.00  1.2  =  16.00  600  350 

Iron  oxide,  ground  in  oil..  1  24.75  2.6  =  32.75  630  375 

Red  lead,  powdered 1  22 . 40  1 . 4  =  30 . 40  630  375 

White  lead ,  ground  in  oil .  1  25 . 00  1 . 7  =  33 . 00  500  300 

Graphite,  ground  in  oil..  .  1  12.50  2.0  =  20.50  360  215 

Black  asphalt 1  turp  17.25  4.0  =  30.00  515  310 

Linseed  oil  (no  pigment)..  875 

PER  TON  of  metal,  light  structural  work  averages  250  sq  ft, 
and  heavy,  150  sq  ft,  of  surf.  Light  work  costs  about  50  per 
cent,  more  to  paint  than  heavy. 

PLASTER: — Paint  goes  much  further  on  plaster  than  on 
wood,  especially  when  the  latter  is  rough.  On  700  yds  only 
20  galls  were  used  for  3  coats,  but  with  a  coat  of  size  it  is  like 
painting  on  glass.  This  figure  would  not  always  hold  out. 
QUANTITIES: — With  different  surfaces  it  is  impossible  to 
.give  certainty.  It  took  100  Ibs  to  100  yds  on  the  rough  sur- 
faces of  No.  7  for  2-coat  painting  owing  to  rough  steel, 
waste  on  high  trusses,  etc.  Wood  should  never  have  less  than 
3  coats,  although  cottages  are  sometimes  finished  with  2. 
OCHRE: — Yellow  ochre,  sometimes  used  for  priming,  costs 
3%  to  4c  per  Ib.  It  is  not  so  good  as  white  lead. 

CALSOMINING: — For  1  coat  size  and  1  calsomine,  allow  from 
60  to  80c  per  sq.  To  150  sq  ft,  allow  1  gall  calsomine. 

LABOR—ONE    MAN— EIGHT   HOURS 

MINERAL: — With  large  plain  surfaces  and  no  scaffolding, 
150  yds.  On  small  surfaces,  angles,  etc,  80  to  100  yds.  On 
work  hard  to  reach,  and  scaffolding  required,  50  yds. 
LEAD  AND  OIL: — On  plain  walls  and  surfaces,  80  yds;  floors, 
135.  For  angle  work,  corners,  porches,  dormers,  etc,  30  to 
40.  On  plaster,  130  yds. 

PLASTER: — On  400  actual  yds  74  hours  were  recently  taken 
to  size  and  give  3  coats  of  paint.  Putting  the  4  coats  on  the 
same  basis  that  means  173  yds  in  8  hours  for  1  man.  But 
again  I  saw  400  actual  yds  of  plaster  cleaned  once  and  well 
painted  4  times  and  it  took  176  hours,  or  at  the  rate  of  only 


* 

PAINTING  267 

73  yds  instead  of  173.  About  14  galls  of  enamel  were  used  for 
the  last  coat. 

TIME  ON  COATS: — The  priming  coat  is  easier  to  put  on 
than  the  following  ones.  Put  the  time  about  £  more  for  finish- 
ing coats. 

CLEANING: — To  carefully  clean  old  work  before  repainting, 
40  to  50  yds  on  plain  designs.  See  "  Varnish  Removing " 
under  "  Inside  Work." 

INSIDE  WORK  FOR  ONE  MAN— 8  HOURS 

Paste  filling 20  yds  fancy  work 

Paste  filling 60  yds  plain  work 

Liquid  filling 100  to  125  yds  plain  work 

Liquid  filling 40  to  50  yds  fancy  work 

Graining 20  to  30  yds 

Varnish 50  yds  plain 

Varnish 30  yds  balusters,  etc 

Varnish 80  yds  floor 

Varnish  removing 8  yds  on  old  oak 

Weather  oak  staining 28  yds  on  old  oak 

Shellac 100  yds  on  old  oak 

Varnish 37  yds  on  old  oak 

Rubbing  down 32  yds  on  old  oak 

Staining  sash 30  sash 

See  also   COLD   WATER   PAINT   for  LABOR  with   brush 
and  compressed  air. 

SASH: — 190  windows,  or  380  sash  on  No.  3  were  stained  in 
100  hours.  Stain  is  worth  practically  the  same  as  linseed  oil. 

VARNISH  REMOVING:— The  work  done  on  the  8-yd  basis 
ran  to  40c  per  yd;  a  large  hardwood  floor  firm  allows  to  clean 
off  old  varnish  from  floors  and  refinishing  72c  at  most. 

ITEMIZED  ACTUAL  COST  OF  100  YDS  PAINTING 

PRIMING:— 

2J  gall  at  $1.18 $2.95 

Labor  (100  yds) 3.20      $6.15 

SECOND  COAT:— 

4  gall  at  $1.26 5.04 

Labor  (85  yds) 3.76        8.80 

THIRD  COAT 8.80 

For  3  coat  lead  and  oil  work $23.75 


268  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

That  amounts  to  24c  per  yd,  which  is  a  high  price,  but  all 
glass  is  deducted,  and  actual  surf  taken.  Then,  painters,  by 
buying  large  quantities,  get  cheaper  rates  on  lead  and  oil,  and 
can  cut  the  figures.  If  they  add  a  good  profit  the  amount  is 
still  higher.  As  a  rule  it  is  not  on  new  work  that  painters 
make  profits. 

MINERAL  ON  TIN 

li  gall  at  66c .  $0.83 

Labor  (150) 2.13 

$3.96 

Actual  cost  on  plain  work,  4c  per  yd,  45c  per  sq. 
On  rough  wood  and  a  basis  of  80  yds  per  day  the  figure 
would  be  5£  and  60c  per  sq. 


PRICES  COMPLETE 

Cost  price  of  ordinary  painting  is  8,  15,  22c,  for  1,  2,  3  coat 
work,  with  wages  at  40c.  Plaster,  20%  less.  Sanding,  1  coat, 
15c.  Painting  in  more  than  2  colors  is  worth  15%  more. 
Sizing,  2c  per  yd.  Stippling  is  worth  about  2c,  but  if  there 
is  a  fair  number  of  yds  there  is  no  extra  charge  made  as  the 
paint  does  not  have  to  be  so  carefully  spread.  Plain  painting 
is  sometimes  roughly  figured  at  8c  per  yd  per  coat. 
QUALITY: — But  there  are  many  kinds  of  painting:  In  white 
color  it  can  be  easily  made  to  cost  as  much  as  $1  per  yd,  but 
painting  of  this  kind  lasts  for  a  generation.  Painting  is  still  a 
trade  among  the  best  mechanics,  but  it  is  merely  a  daub 
among  others.  There  are  so  many  worthless  compounds  that 
if  an  owner  has  a  reasonably  sized  pocket  book  the  best 
thing  he  can  do  is  to  go  to  a  good  painter  and  tell  him  to 
paint  his  building  by  day  labor. 

LABOR  AND  MATERIAL: — On  aver  brush  work  with  mate- 
rial at  2,  labor  runs  to  3  and  4. 

MINERAL: — Mineral  paint  is  cheaper  than  lead,  but  it  is 
generally  used  only  for  the  first  coat  on  metal,  or  on  large 
surfaces  of  undressed  lumber.  For  1  coat  ,allow  5c;  for  2 
coats,  9c.  A  good  mixture  is  Prince's  or  Rawlins  mineral 


PAINTING  269 

and  boiled  linseed  oil.  The  mineral  costs  about  2  to  3c  per 
Ib.  Allow  3  to  3i  Ibs  to  the  gall.  Another  good  mixture  is 
Sherman-William's  mineral  paste  1  gall  to  1£  galls  oil. 

READY  MIXED: — Ready-mixed  lead  paint  from  the  factories 
costs  about  $1.10  per  gall  in  reasonable  quantities,  but  small 
orders  are  sold  as  high  as  $1.50.  Mineral  runs  from  70  to  75c, 
but  the  price  is  increased  to  the  small  dealer.  Railways 
charge  out  their  mixed  paints  at  about  5c  per  Ib. 

COLOR: — Colored   paint   can    be   made   of   stock   that   goes 
further  than  white  lead,  jus't  as  mineral  does.     A  fair  extra 
allowance  would  be  15%  more  surf. 
White  lead  7c  per  Ib. 

Graphite,  Slate,  Black  or  Red $1.00  per  gall 

Graphite,  Green 1.10  per  gall 

Graphite,  in  Single  Cans 1.25 

Red  Lead 1.50 

GRAPHITE: — Manufacturers  say  that  graphite  covers  from 
600  to  800  sq  ft  per  gall,  1  coat.  Steel  firm,  quoted  gives  360. 
SHINGLE  STAINS:— All  the  shingles  on  the  roof  of  No.  12 
were  dipped.  It  was  a  slow  process,  but  I  neglected  to  keep 
the  time  and  can  not  say  exactly  how  slow.  It  is  not  only 
the  dipping,  but  the  shingles  are  much  harder  to  handle  after 
they  have  been  dipped.  Instead  of  being  carried  to  the  roof 
in  a  bunch  they  are  taken  by  the  armful.  Allow  8,000  in  8 
hours  for  1  laborer.  By  bunch,  loosened,  20,000,  stain,  not  oil. 
One  leading  manufacturer  asserts  that  his  stain  is  50% 
cheaper  than  paint.  His  quantities  are  as  follows: 

1  brush  coat,  1  gall  to  150  sq  ft  of  surf. 

2  brush  coats,  1  gall  to  100  sq  ft. 

Dipping  and  applying  1  brush  coat  after  shingles  are  laid, 
3  galls  to  1,000  shingles. 

Dipping  alone,  2£  to  2|  galls  to  1,000  shingles. 

Only  f  of  shingle  is  dipped.  If  applied  with  brush,  2  coats 
should  be  used. 

This  manufacturer  writes  me :  "  These  figures  are  as  nearly 
accurate  as  it  is  possible  to  obtain.  They  have  been  proved 
by  thousands  of  trials,  and  while,  of  course,  the  covering 
varies  slightly  owing  to  the  variation  in  the  roughness  and 


270  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

porosity  of  the  wood,  the  difference  is  not  great."  Still  it  is 
better  to  allow  10  to  15%  extra  on  quantities. 

PRICES: — Prices  per  gall  run  from  65  to  90c.  Green  is  the 
dearest.  The  manufacturer's  time  is  half  the  allowance  given 
for  paint  on  same  surf.  The  kegs  or  bbls  contain  11  galls  or 
more. 

PER  M: — It  is  safe  to  allow  $3  per  M,  depending  upon  price 
of  stain,  etc.  This  runs  covering  of  roof  to  $7  or  $7.50.  A 
good  slate  is  $11,  but  rafters  have  to  be  heavier. 

BRUSH  COAT: — Allow  for  this  coat  on  shingles  lOc  per 
coat,  per  yd. 

BLINDS:— Per  pair  outside,  $1  to  $1.25;   inside,  $3. 

INSIDE  WORK 

INSIDE  WORK: — The  figures  already  given  are  for  a  general 
aver.  If  inside  painting  is  taken  alone  it  is  worth  10  to  15% 
more,  for  better  work  is  necessary.  The  paint  figures  are  for 
3  coats  only;  on  inside  work  in  white,  6  and  7  are  not  too 
many.  Allow  lOc  extra  for  each  coat. 

BARBERS'  POLES: — Striped  work  costs  more  than  plain, 
but  fortunately  it  is  not  nearly  so  popular  as  it  used  to  be — 
except  on  barbers'  poles,  where  it  still  seems  to  hold  its  own. 
In  this  section  of  the  country  it  is  worth  $12  to  properly 
paint  one,  but  a  dozen  can  be  done  at  half  that  figure. 

Before  we  set  any  prices  it  is  well  to  remember  that  here, 
as  elsewhere,  unless  otherwise  stated,  cost  price  is  given,  no 
profit  being  considered.  Painters'  wages  are  now  (1913)  50c 
in  Omaha. 

STANDARD  FINISH:— The  standard  inside  finish  for  hard- 
wood  is  1  coat  filler;  1  shellac;  2  of  varnish;  rubbing  down. 
If  properly  done  it  is  worth  55c  all  through.  It  is  often  done 
for  less,  but  neither  material  nor  labor  is  first  class. 

HIGH  PRICE: — The  banking  room  of  No.  3  ran  to  nearly  a 
dollar  per  yd.  It  was  finished  with  1  coat  water  stain;  1 
filler;  3  white  shellac;  2  rubbing  varnish;  rubbing  down  and 
re-touching  afterwards.  This  is  extra  fine  work  with  more 
coats  than  is  usually  put  on. 


PAINTING  271 

But  even  when  wages  were  lOc  per  hour  lower  than  they 
are  now  $1.25  per  yd — which  included  a  good  profit — has  been 
charged  all  over  interior  work.  First  class  work  is  expensive 
but  it  pays  in  the  long  run.  All  that  glitters  is  not  gold  or 
even  varnish.  Some  work  may  be  made  to  cost  $5  and  up- 
wards. It  all  depends. 

FILLING  AND  RUBBING:— On  pine  without  filler  the  stand- 
ard inside  finish  as  above  is  worth  35c.  The  allowance  for 
filling  hardwood  is  thus  set  at  20c,  which  is  exactly  what  all 
hardwood  on  No.  3  cost;  but  15c  ought  to  be  enough  if  every- 
thing goes  well.  If  rubbing  down  is  omitted  deduct  8c. 

PRICES  PER  YD  WITH  PROFIT 

For  1  coat  white  shellao  and  2  of  Murphy  varnish,  35c,  with- 
out rubbing. 

For  3  coats,  white  shellac,  which  can  not  be  rubbed,  35c. 

For  rubbing  to  egg  shell  gloss,  10  to  20c;  for  slightly  rub- 
bing, 6c. 

For  1  coat  filler  and  2  of  varnish,  30  to  35c. 

For  3  coats  varnish,  30  to  35c. 

For  varnishing  paint,  9c  per  coat. 

For  2  coats,  floor  finish,  20c. 

For  graining,   25c  to   30c. 

For  enamel,  20c  for  1st  coat;   15c  for  2d. 

For  gold  letters,  50c;  silver,  50c;  black,  20c,  all  per  running 
ft. 

Thus,  a  window  3  ft  wide,  lettered  clear  across,  would  cost 
$1.50  for  gold  and  60c  for  plain  lettering. 

Floors,  ceiling,  and  such  plain  work  can  naturally  be  done 
cheaper  than  sash,  grilles,  etc.  Rubbing  down  ornamental 
work  costs  3  or  4  times  as  much  as  plain  work.  The  fore- 
going prices  are  based  on  white  shellac;  common  shellac  is 
about  half  the  price. 

WAX: — I  have  applied  wax  to  parquet  floors  in  my  time,  but 
the  rubbing  is  rather  tiresome.  We  did  not  fill  the  wood, 
but  used  wax  only.  It  is  usually  filled  here.  The  price  is 
about  60c  per  Ib;  filler,  15c.  From  my  recollections  of  the 
work,  muscle  is  of  more  use  than  brains. 


272  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

As  the  prices  given  are  based  upon  40c  per  hour  they  can 
be  regulated  to  suit  any  locality;  or  the  number  of  yds  can 
easily  be  found. 

CLEANING: — Steel  wool  is  sometimes  used  to  rub  down 
work  by  those  who  have  little  conscience  or  a  low  contract. 
It  does  not  merely  rub  it  down — it  grinds  it  down.  But  steel 
wool  is  not  any  too  strong  for  some  kinds  of  work.  I  recently 
saw  350  actual  yds  of  oak  cleaned  down  to  the  natural  surf 
with  a  varnish  remover.  It  works  well  unless  thereMs  shellac 
below  the  varnish,  but  it  is  a  rather  difficult  matter  to  clean 
the  wood.  Each  yd  took  an  hour  for  1  man.  The  work  was 
done  by  contract  and  no  time  was  wasted.  Weather-oak  stain 
after  cleaning,  100  hours;  giving  1  coat  of  shellac,  28;  1  of 
varnish,  76;  rubbing  down  to  a  fairly  smooth  surf,  86.  The 
design  was  reasonably  plain.  If  there  had  been  balusters, 
grilles,  and  such  work,  twice  the  time  would  not  have  been 
sufficient.  20  galls  of  varnish  remover  were  used,  3  galls 
shellac,  with  $  gall  alcohol  to  thin  it  ,and  5  galls  of  varnish. 

WALL  PAPER: — For  plain  wall  paper  lapped,  allow  for  labor 
12  to  22c  per  roll;  and  for  material,  lOc  and  upwards. 

To  get  the  number  of  single  rolls  required  find  the  sq  ft 
and  divide  by  30.  Deduct  openings. 

BURLAP: — Burlap,  often  supplied  by  painters  for  inside 
finish,  costs  about  32c  per  yd  colored;  plain,  23c.  This  is  for 
36"  width. 

BRUSHES: — Each  painter  is  supposed  to  own  a  putty-knife 
and  duster;  the  rest  of  his  outfit  is  supplied  by  the  em- 
ployer. Allow  for  each  man  for  outside  work:  — 

2  8  O  round  brushes.  For  inside  work : — 

2  flat,  4  to  4£".  ISO  chisel  varnish  brush. 

1  No.  10  sash  tool.  1  flat  varnish,  $". 

1  or  2  flat  chisel  sash,  1 J.  1  flat  varnish.  2". 

MANUFACTURERS  QUANTITIES 

One  of  the  largest  manufacturers  in  the  United  States  gives 
the  following  list: 

"  A  gall  of  varnish  will  cover  approximately  600  sq  ft,  1 
coat. 


PAINTING  273 

A  gall  of  shellac  will  cover  from  700  to  750  sq  ft. 

A  gall  of  water  stain  covers  about  650  sq  ft  on  open-grained 
woods,  and  on  close  grained  hardwoods  100  sq  ft  more.  On 
soft  woods  a  gall  of  water  stain  will  cover  from  400  to  500 
sq  ft. 

A  gall  of  spirit  stain  will  only  cover  about  half  the  area 
covered  by  the  same  quantity  of  water  stain. 

A  gall  of  oil  stain  will  cover  about  600  sq  ft  on  all  woods. 

A  gall  of  paste  filler  reduced  for  use  covers  about  300  sq  ft. 

A  gall  of  shingle  tint  covers  about  160  ft,  1  coat,  if  brushed 
on;  1*  galls  covers  the  same  surf,  2  coats.  From  2£  to  2£ 
galls  will  dip  1,000  shingles,  and  another  gall  is  enough  for 
i  brush  coat  in  addition,  after  the  shingles  are  laid." 

HARDWOOD  FLOORS  are  becoming  more  popular  every  year. 
One  dealer  has  prepared  the  following  estimates  for  a  floor 
15'xl8',  or  30  yds.  (See  Chap.  XXVI  for  Maple  Floors) : 

For  a  New  Floor,  Hard  or  Soft,  in  Filler  and  Wax 

5  Ibs  Paste  Wood  Filler,  at  15c $0.75 

2  Ibs  Prepared  Wax,  at  60c 1.20 

$1.95 
For  a  New  Hardwood  Floor  with  Dye,  Filler,  and  Wax 

2  qts  Wood  Dye,  the  desired  shade,  at  85c $1.70 

5  Ibs  Dark  Paste  Wood  Filler,  at  15c 75 

2  Ibs  Prepared  Wax,  at  60c 1.20 

$3.65 
For  a  New  Floor,  Hard  or  Soft,  in  Varnish  Finish 

2  qts  Wood  Dye,  desired  shade,  at  85c $1.70 

i  gall  Floor  Varnish 1.50 

1  Ib  Prepared  Wax . .60 

$3.80 

If  filler  shades  are  desired,  substitute  five  Ibs  of  Paste  Wood  Filler 
for  Wood  Dye. 

For  Refinishing  a  Pine  Wood  Floor  with  Dye  and  Wax 

1  gall  Electric  Solvo $2.50 

5  Ibs  Crack  Filler,  at  20c 1.00 

2  qts  Wood  Dye,  desired  shade,  at  85c 1.70 

}  gall  Under-Lac 1.50 

2  Ibs  Prepared  Wax,  at  60c .^ 1.20 

$7.90 


274  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For  Refinishing  a  Hardwood  Floor  with  Filler  and  Wax 

1  gall  Electric  Solve $2.50 

5  Ibs  Paste  Wood  Filler,  desired  shade,  at  15c 75 

2  Ibs  Prepared  Wax,  at  60c 1.20 

$4.45 

For  Kitchen,  Store,  Bath  Room  or  Porch  Floors, 
Hard  or  Soft 

5  Ibs  Paste  Wood  Filler,  at  15c $0.75 

\  gall  Floor  Finish,  No.  1 1.20 

$1.95 

For  the  woodwork  of  a  room  this  size  we  estimate  three-fourths 
the  quantity  of  material  required  for  the  floor. 

QUANTITIES 

Prepared  Wax — 1  Ib  covers  250  sq  ft. 

Powdered  Wax — Large  size  can  covers  10,000  sq  ft. 

Electric  Solvo — 1  gall  softens  300  sq  ft  of  old  finish. 

Kleen  Floor — 1  gall  cleans  700  sq  ft. 

Wood  Dye — 1  gall  covers  700  sq  ft  upon  hardwood  and  400 
sq  ft  on  soft  wood. 

Crack  Filler — 1  Ib  ordinarily  covers  30  sq  ft. 

Paste  Wood  Filler— 1  Ib  fills  40  sq  ft. 

Floor  Finish  No.  1 — 1  gall  covers  600  sq  ft. 

Under-Lac — I   gall   covers   500   sq  ft. 

Weather  Proof  Liquid — 1  gall  covers  500  sq  ft. 

Floor  Varnish — 1  gall  covers  500  sq  ft. 

Interior  Liquid — 1  gall  covers  500  sq  ft. 
WEIGHTED  BRUSH,  15  Ibs,  $2.50;  25,  $3. 
WAX  may  cover  only  200  sq  ft  instead  of  250. 

COLD  WATER   PAINT 

COMPRESSED  AIR: — It  is  usually  put  on  with  compressed  air, 
but  a  brush  has  to  be  used  where  finished  work  is  apt  to  be 
spoiled  with  waste  material  falling  on  it. 

COST: — On  a  surf  of  more  than  4,000  yds,  the  material 
ran  to  $113  and  the  labor  to  $190,  or  7c  per  yd  for  2  coats 
with  compressed  air;  but  this  does  not  include  the  cost  of 
air.  On  a  building  with  more  than  1,000  yds  done  with  a  hand 


PAINTING  275 

pump  the  cost  was  9c  per  yd  for  2  coats.  The  material  costs 
from  6c  to  7c  per  Ib,  but  large  quantities  can  be  bought 
cheaper.  A  safe  figure  is  5c  for  labor  and  3  for  stock. 

With  some  kinds  of  cold  water  paint  mixing  takes  more 
time  than  painting. 

In  the  use  of  compressed  air  the  labor  depends  a  good  deal 
upon  the  ease  with  which  the  work  can  be  reached.  On  the 
building  with  4,000  yds  inside  there  were  1,200  yds  of  brick, 
actual  measurement,  outside.  The  labor  for  2  coats  of  lead 
and  oil  was  only  $12,  but  150  galls  of  mixed  paint  were  used. 
The  coat  was  about  12c  per  yd,  or  say,  13c  with  cost  of  air. 
The  experience  at  the  World's  Fair  in  Chicago  showed  that 
for  large,  plain  surfaces  this  method  is  far  ahead  of  the  old 
one,  but  it  soils  everything  within  reach.  Of  course  buildings 
differ.  On  the  same  building,  owing  to  considerations  of  ac- 
cessibility the  outside  cost  is,  as  we  have  seen,  Ic  per  yd, 
and  the  inside  4|c,  but  the  men  had  to  crawl  among  rafters. 
QUANTITIES: — Quantities  for  large  work  may  be  estimated 
from  the  following  data:  On  16,000  yds  7,000  Ibs  were  used, 
or  .44  to  sq  yd,  brush.  On  7,800  yds  4,200  Ibs  were  used,  or 
.54  brush;  on  5,700,  2,200,  or  .4  brush;  on  4,000,  2,100  were 
used,  or  .525,  compressed  air. 

KIND  OF  WORK: — All  work  was  2  coat  on  brick  and  lumber. 
Actual  surf  only  is  given — openings  being  deducted.  But 
joists  have  to  be  measured  both  sides,  not  merely  taken  with 
the  surf  of  the  ceiling.  In  some  cases  the  one  item  is  larger 
than  the  other.  The  largest  quantity  was  used  on  No.  7 
and  the  other  allowances  on  buildings  close  by.  The  differ- 
ence between  quanties  for  compressed  air  and  brush  is  not  so 
great  as  is  sometimes  necessary. 

QUANTITY:— On  the  33,500  yds  15,500  Ibs  were  used,  or  a 
little  less  than  J  Ib  to  the  yd.  This  is  a  safer  figure  than 
any  of  the  4,  for  while  the  total  quantity  was  used  for  the 
total  surf  the  distribution  between  the  various  buildings 
might  not  be  exact. 

A  manufacturer's  catalog  at  hand  gives  the  following  data: 
"  For  smooth,  hard  boards  allow  1  Ib  for  50  to  75  sq  ft,  1  coat; 
lor  rough  bds,  stone  and  brick,  25  to  40  sq  ft.  Allow  2  parts 
powder  to  1  cold  water." 


276  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

According  to  these  figures  1  Ib  will  do  from  3  to  8  yds,  1 
coat;  according  to  the  actual  results  given  for  2  coats,  \  Ib 
covers  1  yd.  But  much  depends  upon  the  proportion  of  ma- 
terial. Suppose  it  is  reversed  and  2  parts  cold  water  used 
to  1  part  powder? 

Bbls  weigh  from  350  to  400  Ibs;  kegs,  100.  Half  bbls  and 
kegs  are  also  standard,  and  smaller  amounts  are  packed  in 
wooden  cases. 

LABOR: — On  one  buildings  the  labor  is  already  given.  On  No. 
7  it  ran  for  2  coats  cold  water,  4£c  per  yd,  but  scaffolding 
was  included  for  high  roof.  On  another  building,  4c;  on  still 
another,  6c.  2  coats  lead,  by  hand  on  No.  7  ran  to  lOc,  but  ttie 
trusses  were  hard  to  reach,  although  several  thousand  yds  of 
plain  steel  work  reduced  their  high  aver.  Labor  on  lead  and 
oil  on  another  building  with  plain  surf  ran  to  8£c;  but  wages 
were  not  more  than  30c  on  all  work. 

ALABASTINE:— "A  5  Ib  package  will  cover  from  33  to  50 
sq  yds."  White,  50;  tints,  55c. 

CEMENT  WATERPROOF  STAIN 

Cabot  manufactures  a  cement  waterproof  stain.  "  One  gall 
will  cover  200  sq  ft,  2  coats  on  rough  concrete,  and  250  on 
smooth."  It  is  sold  for  $1  to  $1.25.  This  is  applied  on  the 
outside  of  cement  blocks. 

IRONITE 

Another  preparation  is  "  Ironite."  It  costs  25c  per  Ib,  is 
mixed  with  water,  and  applied  like  paint.  One  Ib  will  cover 
about  25  sq  ft.  The  cost  is  from  $3  to  $6  per  sq."  It  is  a 
filler,  not  a  paint. 

DEHYDRATINE 

Dehydratine  costs  80c  per  gall,  or  3c  per  sq  ft  applied  to 
inside  of  walls  before  plastering  to  keep  out  damp.  This 
is  No.  1.  In  small  lots,  $1.25.  Two  coats  are  used. 

No.  2  for  exteriors,  $1.50;  small  lots,  $2.00. 

One  gall  is  allowed  by  manufacturer  for  50  to  70  sq  ft,  2 
coats. 


PAINTING  277 

DAMP    PROOFING 

An  eastern  damp  proofing  estimate  of  several  methods  of 
damp  proofing  is  as  follows: 

"  After  a  thorough  discussion  of  all  the  elements  and  prin- 
ciples involved  a  comparison  of  cost  of  the  several  methods 
considered  showed  up  as  follows: 

COST  PER  SQ  YD 

Asphalt  Film,  Between  Wall  and  Plaster $0.20 

Metal  Furring,  Between  Wall  and  Plaster 30 

Hollow  Tiles,  Excluding  Dampproofing 63 

Hollow  Tiles,  Including  Dampproofing 75 

Outside  Coating,  Applied  Under  Pressure 30 

Cost  of  Preparing  Concrete  Surface   for  Plastering 55 

The  amount  of  work  to  be  done  in  case  the  outside  coat- 
ing  method  was  used  was  only  60%  of  what  would  have 
been  required  for  interior  damp  proofing,  as  some  of  the 
walls  were  built  directly  against  the  adjoining  property,  and, 
therefore,  not  exposed;  the  total  cost  of  the  latter  method  was 
then  about  60%  of  any  of  the  others." 

The  Toch  R.  I.  W.  or  "Remember  It's  Waterproof"  mix- 
tures are  well  known  among  builders,  especially  in  the  east. 
One  kind  is  for  inside  walls  before  plastering;  another  for  the 
outside;  and  others  are  cement  fillers  and  floor  paint. 

The  Trussed  Concrete  Steel  Co.  of  Detroit  also  has  a  full 
line  of  waterproof  stains  to  be  used  on  masonry,  and  espe- 
cially on  concrete. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

PLUMBING  AND  GAS  FITTING 

CATALOGS: — Some  plumbers  and  steam-fitters'  catalogs  have 
several  hundred  pages  of  descriptive  matter  and  price  lists. 
Why  expect  more  here  than  a  mere  glance  at  a  subject  which 
requires  so  much  space  if  treated  exhaustively?  We  may, 
however,  set  down  some  things  that  are  not  found  in  the 
catalogs,  which  are  full  of  an  embarrassing  wealth. 

COST  OP  SEWERAGE: — About  the  smallest  trench  that  can 
be  used  is  18"  wide  by  the  necessary  depth.  Digging  and 
backfilling  mean  so  much  more  than  the  laying  of  the  pipe 
that  if  they  are  carefully  figured  the  rest  is  easy.  In  fair 
ground  with  a  depth  of  5  ft,  50c  per  cy  is  enough,  and  5c  per 
If  for  the  laying  of  the  pipe.  If  sheet-piling  is  used  allow  as 
listed  in  Chap.  I.  But  too  much  depends  upon  the  character 
of  the  soil  to  set  any  hard  and  fast  figures. 

LABOR: — In  soft  ground  an  Omaha  plumber  allows  lOc  per 
If  for  6  ft  deep;  and  30c  to  a  depth  of  14  ft.  But  these  figures 
are  too  low,  although  for  excavation  only.  Of  course  they 
are  reasonable  if  plenty  of  tunneling  can  be  done.  On  1,000 
ft  of  pipe  laid  by  another  plumber  to  a  depth  of  5  ft,  the  time 
was  220  hours,  or  less  than  6c.  On  1,400  ft  of  pipe  recently 
laid  only  1  ft  deep  the  cost  of  excavation  and  laying  without 
cost  of  pipe,  was  lOc  per  If  which  is  too  high  a  figure.  Laying 
of  12"  pipe  is  worth  7  to  lOc  per  ft;  4",  5c. 

Some  work  recently  done  in  wet  soil  at  a  depth  of  from  4 
to  5  ft  with  6  to  10"  pipe  cost  for  excavation  and  laying  28, 
31,  and  43c,  with  more  than  1,000  ft  in  each  case.  But  sup- 
pose that  rock  has  to  be  cut?  Or  that  100  ft  of  a  sewer  are 
only  4'  felow  the  surf,  while  the  next  100  have  to  go  througll 
a  deep  bank?  Each  job  has  to  be  estimated  to  suit  the  local 
conditions. 

After  a  depth  of  6  ft  is  reached  the  earth  has  to  be  handled 
twice,  and  a  scaffold  built  in  the  trench  to  hold  it.  (See 
Chap  VI,  for  prices  of  Omaha  sewers.) 

278 


PLUMBING     AND     GAS     FITTING  279 

LABOR  ON  WATER  PIPE:— The  time  is  practically  the  same 
as  on  sewer  pipe  of  same  depth.  Some  plumbers  allow  less 
for  water  than  for  sewer  pipes.  The  pipes  come  in  12  ft 
lengths,  and  a  good  deal  of  boring  can  be  done  if  the  soil  is" 
fair.  For  5  ft  deep  12c  ought  to  be  enough  under  ordinary 
conditions  and  digging  the  whole  length.  But  this  price  is 
sometimes  doubled  and  trebled  owing  to  one  cause  and  an- 
other. A  long  straight  line  can  be  laid  cheaper  than  many 
short  lengths.  On  several  thousand  of  6  and  10"  recently  laid, 
the  labor  ran  to  35c  per  ft;  and  on  500  ft  to  48c.  This  in- 
cluded,— like  the  foregoing  figures, — excavation,  laying,  and 
backfilling. 

A  fair  idea  of  what  laying  alone  is  worth  may  be  obtained 
fromi  the  following  figures  put  in  by  8  bidders  for  work  in 
New  Hampshire.  Price  is  given  in  cents  per  ft:  3,100'  of  12", 
aver  36c  from  30  to  43c;  4,800'  of  10",  aver  33c,  27  to  41; 
2,800'  of  8",  aver  30c,  23  to  38;  10,000'  of  6",  27c,  20  to  35; 
4,300'  of  4",  24c,  19  to  32. 

On  a  contract  in  another  part  of  the  country  the  price  ran, 
12",  33c;  10",  25c;  8",  22c;  6",  20c;  4",  19c. 

On  11  bids  for  10,000  of  48",  in  Boston,  the  successful  figure 
was  $2.25;  highest,  was  $3.53;  aver,  $2.73. 

For  ordinary  supply  pipes  to  a  building  8e  per  ft  is  a  safe 
enough  figure  in  fair  soil;  only  about  half  the  line  is  ex- 
cavated and  the  rest  bored  with  an  auger  thus  reducing  the 
cost  per  ft.  But  paving  may  be  extra. 

In  August,  1908,  I  saw  a  man  lay  300'  of  f"  galv  iron  pipe, 
and  the  time  taken  was  36  hours,  and  3  hours  of  a  plumber 
to  make  connection.  Wages  of  layer,  35c,  and  plumber,  62^c, 
$14.48,  or  5c  per  ft.  About  i  was  dug,  and  the  rest  bored 
in  good,  firm  soil  that  required  no  bracing. 

Inside  of  a  building  a  man  will  lay  100'  of  supply  pipe 
in  a  day. 

LABOR  ON  SOIL  PIPE:— It  is  hard  to  give  a  figure  that  will 
apply  to  all  buildings.  How  many  branches  are  there? 
How  many  bends  and  angles?  Or  is  it  in  a  straight  line? 
Somtetimes  a  plumber  will  take  a  day  to  40';  again  he  may 
do  100;  a  fair  average  is  50'.  A  good  deal  depends  upon  the 
size — 4  and  6"  are  given  above.  Soil  pipe  has  to  run  a  dis- 


280  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

tance  of  4'  outside  of  buildings  in  Omaha.  Sewer  pipe  is  not 
allowed  inside  a  building.  The  weights  for  extra  heavy  pipe 
are  :  2",  5.5  Ibs;  3",  9.5;  4",  13;  5",  17;  6",  20;  8",  33.5;  10", 
44;  12",  54.  An  8"  pipe  is  nearly  3  times  as  heavy  as  a  4", 
and  this  counts  in  the  labor. 

VENT  PIPES:— When  run  singly  they  are  from  1J  to  2"  diam. 
Allow  75'  in  a  day  for  1  man;  4",  45';  6",  40';  8",  35'. 
WASTE  PIPES:— For  water  closets,  4";  slop  sinks,  2"  and  3; 
other  fixtures  from  1^  to  1£.    The  time  on  waste  pipes  is  in- 
cluded in  the  fixture  time. 

LABOR  ON  FXTURES: — "Allow  $8  for  connecting  up  each 
fixture  all  supply  and  soil  pipes  being  in  place  ready  to  con- 
nect." A  fair  aver  is  $5,  but  residence  work  costs  a  trifle 
more  than  warehouse.  Wash  basins  in  ranges  should  be  con- 
nected at  rate  of  2  in  8  hours  for  1  man. 

A  water  closet  ought  to  be  connected  for  $5.  A  plumber 
should  do  the  work  in  half  a  day;  £  of  a  day  is  ample.  It 
should  never  take  a  whole  day  unless  at  a  far  distance  from 
the  shop,  for  plumbers  usually  report  there  in  the  morning 
instead  of  at  the  building.  A  day's  work  should  be  3  closets, 
all  rough  pipes  being  in  place.  Not  so  long  ago  safes  had 
to  be  put  below  water  closets,  and  it  took  longer  time  to 
finish;  but  now  open  plumbing  is  universal,  and  usually  com- 
pulsory. In  ranges  allow  about  same  time. 

All  pipes  being  ready,  a  bath  tub  should  be  set  for  $3.    For 
a  house  with  bath,  water  closet,  and  wash  bowl  in  bath  room; 
with  sink  and  boiler  in  kitchen;  and  water  closet  and  sink  in 
cellar,  allow  6  to  12  days  for  1  man  to  rough  in  and  finish 
complete;  9  is  a  good  aver. 
SLATE: — Setting  per  sq  ft  costs  about  lOc. 
DOORS: — Hanging  water  closet  doors,  8  of  pine  in  a  day  for 
1  carpenter.     Some  men  will  do  10. 
TUBS: — To  set  a  range  of  3  laundry  tubs,  1  day. 
METER: — To  connect  a  small  meter  for  house,  $3;   a  large 
one  for  factory,  $10. 

HYDRANT:— To  connect  yard  hydrant,  $2. 
PUMPS: — To  connect  a  pitcher  pump,  $1.20. 


PLUMLING     AND     GAS     FITTING  28l 

Plumbers'  wages  are  now  (1913)  6S|c  per  hour;  helpers'  35 
to  40c.  For  an  approx  estimate,  allow  from  20  to  25% 
of  the  cost  of  material  for  labor — but  some  bath  tubs  cost 
$30,  some  $150,  while  labor  is  about  the  same.  Plumbing  and 
heating  run  about  10%  of  cost  of  building. 

MATERIAL 
CAST  IRON  SOIL  PIPE,  SINGLE  HUB 

Size  in  inches 23456          8       10        12 

Price  per  ft,  standard lOc  12c  16c  22c  26c      65c  $1.00  SI. 50 

Price  per  ft,  extra  heavy...  lie  18c  23c  32c  36c  1.15       1.50     2.00 

Extra  heavy  is  almost  always  used,  so  that  the  calking 
can  be  done  without  bursting  the  pipe. 

DOUBLE  HUB 

Standard..             .  .55c    65c      85c    $1.25  $1.55  $3.65  $6.00  $8.75 
Ex  heavy 65c     1.00     1.25     1.75     2.10     6.40     9.0011.50 

Both  single  and  dbl-hub  pipe  comes  in  5  ft  lengths.  On 
aver  work  allow  30%  of  straight  pipe  for  all  fittings;  water 
pipe,  from  38  to  40%  vent,  45. 

SEWER  PIPE 

Inside  Diam  Straight  Pipe       Curves  Traps  Weight  per  Ft 

3  6c  19c  65c  61bs 

4  8c  23c  80c  9  Ibs 

5  lOc  28c  95c  12  Ibs 

6  12c  38c  $1.10  16  Ibs 
8  18c               65c  1.80  23  Ibs 

10  25c          $1.00  2.40  33  Ibs 

Other  fittings  may  be  approximated  from  the  foregoing  list. 
Junctions  are  about  15%  more  than  curves;  dbl  junctions,  50%; 
and  increasers,  decreasers,  and  slants,  about  the  same. 

See  also  Chap  VI. 

CAST  IRON  WATER  AND  GAS  PIPE 
AVERAGE  WT  OF  PIPE  AND  JOINTING   MATERIAL 

Lead  for  Ea  Joint     Yarn  in 

in  Ibs  oz 

34  6 

44  7 

8  9 

11  11 

15  13 


Inside  Diam 
Inches 

W  per  Ft 

Water 

W  per  Ft 
Gas 

3 

15  Ibs 

13  Ibs 

4 

22  Ibs 

18  Ibs 

6 

32  Ibs 

30  Ibs 

8 

42  Ibs 

40  Ibs 

10 

60  Ibs 

50  Ibs 

282  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Weight  of  fittings  for  water  pipe  for  the  5  sizes  given: 
Elbows — 40,  70,  102,  205,  260;  bends — 50,  80,  133,  201,  300; 
sleeves — 24,  40,  70,  120,  150;  plugs — 8,  12,  20,  40,  60;  tees— 
3",  60;  4,  115;  4x3,  85;  6,  190;  6x4,  155;  6x3,  140;  8,  260;  8x6, 
250;  8x4,  235;  8x3,  190;  10,  430.  Crosses— 75,  120,  109,  225, 
200,  175,  325,  285,  255,  206,  565,  to  suit  the  11  tees  given. 

The  weights  for  gas  fittings  are  from  10  to  15%  lighter  than 
for  water. 

LENGTH: — Cast  iron  pipe  comes  in  12'  lengths.  The  weights 
vary  5%  either  way.  The  price  of  pipe  is  about  2c  per  Ib; 
of  fittings,  3. 

WRT    IRON    PIPE    FOR   STEAM,   GAS,  AND  WATER 

BLACK  AND  GALV:— The  following  are  1913  prices  of  galv 
pipe. 

Standard  Extra  Strong 

Wt  per  Ft     Price  per  Wt  per  Ft     Price~  per 

Inside  Diam  in  Ibs          Ft  in  Cts  in  Ibs          Ft  in  Cts 

i 24            3.0                       .29  7 

J .42            3.0                       .54  7 

§ .56            3.0  0.74  7 

I .84            4.0  1.09  7 

| 1.12            4.7                     1.39  7 

1 1.67            6.6                     2.17  9 

H 2.24            9.0                     3.  12 

li 2.68  11.0                     3.63  15 

2 3.61  14.5                     5.02  20 

2J 5.74  23.0                     7.67  33 

3 7.54  30.0  10.25  42 

4 10.66  44.0  14.97  60 

6 18.76  76.0  28.58  1.20 

Dbl  ex  strong  is  about  100%  more  in  price  than  ex  strong. 

LENGTHS:— From  16  to  20  ft;  aver  18. 

CUTTING  AND  THREADING:— Each  cut  and  thread  up  to 
I,  3c;  1,  3^c;  li,  3£;  1|,  4c;  2,  6c;  3,  12c;  6,  32c.  This  thread- 
ing is  done  by  a  machine;  when  done  by  hand  it  is  worth  at 
least  twice  as  much.  Couplings  are  about  30%  lower  in  price 
than  1  ft  of  straight  pipe  of  same  size;  small  ells  are  lower, 
large  ones  higher  than  straight  pipe;  small  unions,  about 
same — large  50%  higher;  tees,  about  same,  except  in  larger 
sizes  which  are  higher;  crosses,  same  in  small  pipe,  twice  as 
high  in  large. 


PLUMBING     AND     GAS     FITTING  283 

G-LOBE  VALVES:— 11,   $1.25;    1$,   $1.60;    2,  $2.50;    2$,  $5.60; 

3,  $7.70;    4,  $9. 

GATE  VALVES:— 1£,  $1.60;    2,   $2.50;    2*,   $3.65;    3,  $4.40;    4, 

$6.25;  6,  $9.75;  8,  $16. 

SMALL  LEAD  PIPE:— 8c  per  Ib. 

WATER  CLOSETS:— Which  of  more  than  400  styles  is  to  be 

taken  as  a  standard?  Siphon  jet,  wash  down,  and  wash  out  are 

the  3  leading  styles.     A  good    siphon-jet    closet    with    tank, 

pipes,  etc,  complete  may  be  bought  for  $25;  other  styles  may 

be  had  for  $20;  some  people  might  find  their  ideal  at  $70.     A 

wash  out  closet  costs  about  $15.    These  prices  do  not  include 

setting.     Low  tanks  being  almost  noiseless  are  coming  more 

into  use. 

URINALS: — Earthenware  urinals  are  of  different  sizes  and 

styles.     They  run  from  $4  to  $6  each.     If  slate  urinals  are 

used  the  slate  must  be  taken  by  the  sq  ft  and  the  fittings 

allowed  extra. 

SLATE: — At  the  thickness  of  1",  50c  per  sq  ft;   li,  60c;   2", 

80c. 

ITALIAN  MARBLE:— |,  80c;   U,  $1;   2,  $1.50. 

PARTITIONS: — Slate     partitions     are    4'     high    by    various 

widths,  from  14"  to  4'  6". 

Allow  lOc  per  sq  ft  to  set  slate;  marble  is  used  for  basin 
tops  and  such  trimmings.  In  general  the  cost  of  putting  it 
in  place  is  included  in  fixture  allowance. 

DOORS: — Water  closet  doors  run  to  about  $8  per  pair,  finished 
by  painter.  If  hinges  are  of  best  quality  nickel  plated,  allow 
$4.50  per  door — not  per  pair  of  doors. 

PARTITION  FITTINGS:— Nickel  plated  standards  to  keep 
slate  up  from  floor,  $2  each.  They  are  14"  long.  Rail  on  top 
of  slate  partitions,  40c  ft.  Angles  and  bolts  to  hold  slate, 
30c  each. 

BATHS:— There  is  no  limit  to  the  cost  of'  baths.  Enameled 
tubs  may  be  had  for  $15  in  4';  $20  for  4'  6";  $24  for  5'; 
$25  for  5'  6"  in  lengths,  with  all  necessary  trimmings.  Long 
baths  are  seldom  used  now.  In  porcelain  the  same  sizes 
would  cost  about  $150. 


284  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Shower  baths  are  a  trifle  cheaper  than  tubs,  and  if  a  cement 
floor  is  put  down  they  can  be  used  where  the  space  is  limited. 
With  a  single  pipe,  $10  might  buy  a  bath  of  this  kind.  In  an 
excellent  work,  "  Municipal  Engineering  &  Sanitation,"  by  M. 
N.  Baker,  associate  editor  of  "  The  Engineering  News,"  this 
style  of  bath  is  recommended  on  account  of  its  cheapness.  It 
would  seem  to  be  necessary  in  our  summer  climate  if  Mr. 
Baker's  statistics  are  correct;  for  it  appears  that  only  3  to 
5%  of  houses  in  such  cities  as  Baltimore  and  Boston  have 
baths.  The  building  codes  ought  to  be  so  amended  that  all 
new  houses  should  have  at  least  some  cheap  bath.  St.  Louis 
has  set  a  good  example  in  this  way. 

LAVATORIES: — Square,  with  marble  slab  and  back,  brackets, 
basin  and  all  fittings,  $15;  corner,  $18.  With  floor  slab,  etc, 
from  $50  to  $75.  Porcelain  is  much  dearer.  Enameled  iron, 
from  $10  up. 

MEDICINE  CABINETS:— Size  is  about  26"  wide  x  30"  high 
of  different  styles. 

.No.  1 $55.00      No.  4 $70.00 

No,  2 60.00      No.  5 75.00 

No.  3 64.00 

These  prices  include  plate  glass  mirror,  and  two  (2)  |" 
plate  glass  shelves. 

Without  mirror  and  shelves  prices  are: 


No.  1 $44.00      No.  4 $56.00 

No.  2 46.00      No.  5 65.00 

No.  3..  .   50.00 


These  cabinets  are  made  of  brass  and  finished  in  heavy  nickel 
plate.  Each  cabinet  is  supplied  with  (2)  metal  uprights,  with 
slots  to  all  of  the  shelves  to  be  set  at  any  desired  height. 

For  another  make  the  cost  is  $38  for  21x25,  mirror,  19x23; 
29x24,  $50;  24x29,  $50;  34x29,  $81. 

BOILERS: — For  galv  iron  boilers  used  in  kitchens  with 
stands,  couplings  and  tubes;  30  gals,  $7.50;  40,  $10;  52,  $16; 
79,  $24.  The  same  sizes  with  coils  are  worth  additional: 


PLUMBING     AND     GAS     FITTING  285 

$8.40,  $9.60,  $12.80,  $14.40.  These  prices  are  for  standard 
boilers;  ex  heavy  cost  20%  more. 

SINKS: — For   kitchen   sinks,   enameled   iron,   the   usual   size 

of  18x30,  allow  $2.40.     There  are  many  varieties,  sizes,  and 

prices. 

Roll  rim  sink  with  back,   $10;   with   drain  board  and  back, 

full  length,  $19. 

LAUNDRY  TUBS:— Price  of  2  part,  $17;  3  part,  $25,  includ- 
ing standard  and  all  fittings. 

LEAD  AND  SOLDER: — Sheet  lead,  7c;  solder,  half  and  half, 
20c  per  Ib.  Kidder  gives  7  Ib  lead  to  sq  ft  for  roofs  and 
gutters;  6  for  ridges;  4  for  flashing. 

WATER  METERS: — Small  |  meters  for  dwellings  are  sold  at 
$11.50  each.  See  also  page  336. 

GAS  PIPE: — For  all  pipe  1"  and  under  allow  12  to  15c  put 
in  building  complete.  An  aver  day's  work  for  1  man  is  80'; 
it  was  formerly  set  at  100,  but  now  the  day  is  shorter. 
Sometimes  the  gas  piping  is  figured  at  $1.60  per  outlet  for  a 
rough  approx  estimate. 

OAKUM: — 4c  per  Ib;   and  50  Ibs  per  bale. 

EJECTORS:— When  closets,  etc.,  are  below,  the  level  of  the 
street  sewer,  as  in  almost  all  skyscrapers  now,  an  ejector 
plant  is  usually  installed.  For  a  50  gall  steam  operated  plant 
set  in  place,  about  $1,400;  for  a  duplicate  50  gall 
plant,  about  $2,300.  Electrically  operated,  about  30%  more. 
No  chamber  included,  so  that  brickwork,  concrete,  etc,  would 
be  additional;  also  piping  to  the  ejector. 

Another  duplex  system  "  costs  from  $1,500  to  $2,500,  depend- 
ing upon  requirements." 

A  50  gall  plant,  fob  New  York,  with  motor,  $950;  for  steam 
air  compressor,  $900. 

For  100  gall,  $1,200  and  $1,150. 

These  prices  are  based  on  a  maximum  10'  lift.  The  cost 
increases  if  the  lift  is  higher.  In  the  new  Custom  House, 
New  York,  the  lift  is  46';  in  the  St.  Regis  Hotel,  42  ft. 

There  are  at  least  37  ejectors  in  the  subway,  New  York. 


286  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

The  standard  sizes  are  35,  50,  100,  and  150  galls,  but  any 
desired  size  is  made. 

An  automatic  syphon  ejector  for  draining  cellars  may  be 
had  for  $35  to  $125,  and  capacity  from  250  to  8,000  galls 
per  hour. 

See  Chap  XXI  for  "  Septic  Tanks." 

LABOR  ON  GAS  PIPES  : — They  are  put  about  3'-6"  in  the 
ground.  In  winter  allow  20'  per  man  per  day;  in  summer 
35'  for  complete  labor.  Joints  of  pipe  are  now  made  in 
cement  at  5c.  each.  Lead  was  formerly  used.  The  cost  of  a 
6"  joint  was  35c.;  a  4",  25c. 

In  a  city  of  the  size  of  Omaha,  125,000  in  1910,  there  are  as 
many  as  1200  old  houses  wired  for  electric  lights  in  a  year. 
The  cost  varies  with  the  fixtures  chosen.  With  an  average 
quality  of  fixtures  a  seven  room  house  can  be  equipped  for 
$8  per  room. 

The  gas  companies  offer  to  install  piping  for  a  small  price 
in  order  to  get  customers.  For  piping  alone  the  charge  is 
for  a  5:room  house,  $17.50;  6-room,  $20.75;  7-room,  $24.75; 
8-room,  $27.00.  Fixtures  have  to  be  added. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HEATING  AND  LIGHTING 

The  heating  systems  in  ordinary  use  are  steam,  hot  water, 
hot  blast,  and  furnace.  Heating  by  electricity  is  a  matter  for 
experts  to  deal  with. 

PRICE: — The  price  of  pipe  is  given  under  "Plumbing." 
Standard  wrought  iron  pipe  is  used — not  extra  Heavy.  The 
number  of  ft  of  radiation  being  obtained  an  approximate  price 
of  work  in  place  may  be  found  by  mult  by  75c  per  ft,  with- 
out boiler;  95c  with  boiler.  Plain  buildings  do  not  quite 
reach  these  figures,  but  dwellings  with  hot  water  heat,  often 
run  to  $1.  Two  recent  steam  heated  depots  with  from  2,600  to 
3,000  sq  ft  of  radiation  ran  to  65  and  80c  without  and  with 
boilers.  Hot  water  is  higher  than  steam  by  15  to  35%  as 
more  radiation  is  required.  Boilers  are  sold  at  all  prices.  A 
sectional  hot  water  boiler  for  1,000  to  1,200'  radiation  can  be 
furnished  and  set  for  $180  to  $190. 

RADIATORS: — They  are  of  many  kinds  and  sizes.  The 
standard  height  is  38".  In  the  catalogs  the  number  of  sq  ft 
is  given  for  each  loop  or  section.  Allow  25c  per  sq  ft  for 
radiator,  without  valves  and  fittings.  Allow  2.3'  of  li" 
straight  pipe  as  an  equivalent  of  a  sq  ft,  and  price  pipe 
radiators  same  as  the  newer  style. 

Radiator  valves  run  from  50c  to  $4.  A  fair  valve  may  be 
bought  for  $1.50.  Steam  valves  are  the  most  expensive.  Hot 
water,  1",  76c;  1},  $1.08;  H,  $1.50.  Steam:  1,  $1;  li,  $1.25; 
li,  $1.70. 

Radiator  pedestals  or  feet,  are  from  5  to  15c  each.  Pipe 
hangers  from  8  to  15c  each. 

EXPANSION  JOINT: — When  a  pipe  is  over  a  certain  length 
an  expansion  joint  is  required.  The  expansion  averages  V  in 
50'.  The  price  is  regulated  to  some  extent  by  the  expansion 
or  "traverse."  For  10"  traverse  allow  the  following  prices: 
3"  pipe,  $12;  4,  $20;  5,  $25.50;  6,  $32;  7,  $40;  8,  $48.  But  a 
10"  traverse  is  longer  than  the  standard  which  for  a  3"  pipe 

287 


288  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

is  2f;  4",  3i;  5",  4;  6",  5;  8",  7.  The  price  of  a  3"  ex  joint 
is  about  $6.50;  4,  $10.50;  5,  $17;  6,  $19.50;  8,  $39.  All  prices 
given  are  for  iron  body,  brass  sleeves  and  flanges — screwed 
joints  are  from  10  to  50%  cheaper.  Brass  expansion  joints 
are  sometimes  used  for  the  smaller  sizes.  They  run  about 
50%  higher  in  price  than  iron. 

COILS:— Allow  30c  per  sq  ft  for  1"  coils  of  fair  length,  set 
in  place. 

PIPE  COVERING:— The  best  has  85%  magnesia  coupled 
with  15%  of  other  constituents.  The  price  delivered  in 
Omaha  is  from  12"  pipe,  65c;  10,  56;  8,  50;  6,  40;  5,  36;  4,  28; 
3,  23;  2i,  19;  2,  17;  1$,  14;  U,  12.  A  cheaper  covering  is 
asbestos  and  woolen  felt:  2",  9c;  2$,  10;  3,  11;  3$,  13;  4,  14; 
4i,  15;  5,  16;  6,  18;  7,  22;  8,  24;  9,  26;  10,  32c.  Wool  felt  is 
often  used  to  cover  cold  water  pipes. 

These  prices  include  canvas  covering  and  metal  bands. 
An  ell 'is  worth  about  the  same  as  a  If  of  same  size;  a  tee 
and  valve  about  30%  more;  a  cross  from  60  to  70  more  than 
a  straight  ft;  but  for  such  angles  the  raw  material  is  usually 
plastered  on — a  bag  of  raw  material  costs  about  $4.  Sec- 
tions of  covering  are  made  3'  long.  Plain  1"  lagging  for 
boilers  and  such  work  is  worth  about  21c  per  sq  ft  put  on. 
Magnesia  and  asbestos  coverings  are  used  above  ground;  for 
underground  work  Wyckoff  covering  is  better.  It  is  made  of 
asbestos  in  a  hexagonal  wood  duct  from  8  to  12'  long.  For 
new  work  the  pipe  is  put  in  on  end — for  work  in  place  the 
box  is  split.  The  box  is,  of  course,  larger  as  these  sizes  are 
for  pipe.  Sometimes  asbestos  is  used  below  ground  in  a  box, 
but  Wyckoff  is  better.  Allow  lumber  at  regular  price,  and 
5c  per  If  for  carpenter  labor  alone  if  a  box  is  used,  but  not 
for  Wyckoff. 

The  price  given  on  Wycoff  covering  is  for  a  2",  3",  and  4" 
thick  shell.  For  3"  pipe,  26c,  38,  45;  4"  pipe,  32c,  41,  50; 
5",  38c,  45,  57;  6",  43c,  53,  68;  1",  49c,  60,  77;  8",  57c,  72,  90; 
10",  75c;  90,  $1.12.  And  if  tin  lined  pipe  is  used  add  about  25% 
to  these  prices. 

For  a  4"  wrought  iron  pipe  with  Wycoff  tin-lined  covering 
and  a  5"  expansion  joint  1,100'  cost  $1,251,  laid  at  a  depth  of 
3'.  Digging  and  backfilling,  15c  per  If,  included. 


HEATING     AND     LIGHTING  289 

LABOR: — For  laying  3  or  4'  pipe  in  a  box  several  hundred 
ft  long  without  a  turn,  allow  from  3  to  6c  per  ft.  The  lengths 
are  merely  to  be  screwed  together.  No.  2  has  about  300  ft 
of  6"  hung  to  girders  in  a  tunnel;  allow  about  12  to  15c. 
When  such  lengths  are  used  an  expansion  joint  is  necessary. 

For  inside  of  a  building  allow  for  risers,  etc,  from  8  to  lOc 
per  ft.  The  lengths  are  short  and  require  extra  labor.  A 
radiator  should  be  connected  for  $1.50  to  $2  for  steam,  which 
is  usually  connected  at.  only  1  end;  for  hot  water  50c  more 
ought  to  be  sufficient. 

Radiators  weigh  about  7  Ibs  to  sq  ft;  allow  $5  per  ton 
for  hoisting. 

As  with  all  kinds  of  work  short  material  and  angles  take 
most  labor.  The  estimator  must  make  allowance  for  the 
character  of  the  job.  Approximately  allow  25%  of  price  of 
material  for  labor.  Wages  are  50c  per  hour  for  fitters,  and 
25c  for  helpers. 

From  4  to  7c  ought  to  cover  digging  and  laying  of  box  for 
pipe,  or  for  Wyckoff  covering,  as  trench  does  not  require  to 
be  deep.  Allow  for  pipe.  Pipe  covering  ought  to  be  put  on 
at  3c  for  small  pipe  up  to  8  or  10  for  the  largest  sizes;  but 
everything  depends  upon  the  number  of  angles. 

LARGE  INSTALLATION: — For  the  heaviest  kind  of  work, 
with  pipes  from  2"  to  16",  allow  25%  of  total  cost  of  material 
for  labor.  On  a  very  large  equipment  with  steam,  water,  and 
air  pipes,  this  was  exact  figure. 


RADIATION 

There  are  various  rules  for  obtaining  the  number  of  ft  of 
radiation  required.  Each  room  is  sometimes  taken  by  itself 
on  a  different  basis;  again  glass  is  considered,  and  its  surf 
with  respect  to  total  wall  exposure;  and  Baldwin  sets  a  popu- 
lar rule.  A  building  divided  into  small  rooms  requires  more 
than  a  large  hall  or  room.  Halls  and  sleeping  rooms  are 
not  heated  so  much  as  parlors.  Some  take  the  cf  and  divide 
by  60,  and  up  to  100,  or  even  150  for  large  spaces;  others  go 
as  low  as  30  for  a  unit.  The  quotient  gives  the  number  of 
cf  required  for  steam;  hot  water  requires  20  to  25%  more. 


290  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

RULE: — A  common  rule  for  finding  radiation  is  as  follows: 
Get  the  cubical  contents  of  the  room  in  ft,  and  divide  by 
100  for  sq  ft  of  radiation;  get  the  sq  ft  of  outside  wall  ex- 
posure, not  deducting  glass  surf,  and  divide  by  30  for  sq  ft 
of  radiation;  then  get  glass  surf  and  divide  by  3.  Add  the 
3  figures  together  for  total. 

Thus  a  corner  room  10x15x10  high  would  have  15  sq  ft 
for  contents;  8.3  for  wall  exposure;  and  12  for  glass,  with  2 
windows  each  3x6;  or  a  total  of  35.3  sq  ft  of  radiation.  The 
same  room  not  on  a  corner,  with  15'  to  the  street,  would 
have  32  sq  ft.  A  room  12x20x10,  3  windows,  would  have 
53  and  49,  for  corner  and  inside  with  long  side  to  street. 
Multiples  are  usually  in  5,  so  the  sq  ft  would  be  55  and  50  in 
the  last  case.  But  supply  pipes  are  usually  included  in  the 
radiating  surf. 

RULES  FOR  RADIATION: — One  large  supply  house  sends 
out  the  following  rules  for  10  below  zero. 

STEAM   HEATING— DIRECT  RADIATION 

Frame  Residences,  down  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  50  cf  air 

Frame  Residences,  up  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  60  cf  air 

Brick  Residences,  down  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  60  cf  air 

Brick  Residences,  up  stairs 1  sq  f t  to  70  cf  air 

Office  Buildings 1  sq  ft  to  60  cf  air 

Factories 1  sq  ft  to  125  cf  air 

Churches  and  Assembly  Halls 1  sq  ft  to  200  cf  air 

Indirect  Radiation,  50%  more  surface. 

Direct-Indirect  Radiation,  25%  more  surface. 

HOT  WATER   HEATING— DIRECT  RADIATION 

Frame  Residences,  down  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  25  to  30  cf  air 

Frame  Residences,  up  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  30  to  40  cf  air 

Brick  Residences,  down  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  28  to  35  cf  air 

Brick  Residences,  up  stairs 1  sq  ft  to  40  to  45  cf  air 

Office  Buildings 1  sq  ft  to  40  cf  air 

Factories 1  sq  ft  to  70  cf  air 

Churches  and  Assembly  Halls 1  sq  ft  to  100  cf  air 

Indirect  Radiation,  50%  more  surf 

Direct-Indirect  Radiation,  25%  more  surf 

For  ordinary  buildings  divide  the  cf  by  45  and  mult  the 
sq  ft  of  radiation  thus  obtained  by  $1  for  the  cost  with; 


HEATING     AND     LIGHTING  291 

boiler.  Plain  buildings  are  sometimes  heated  with  coils  for 
as  low  as  1.4  to  2c  per  cf  without  boiler.  An  exact  estimate 
can  be  had  by  making  a  piping  plan  and  taking  off  the 
material  and  labor  in  the  ordinary  way.  Both  steam  and  hot 
water  can  be  installed  with  either  the  single  or  dbl  pipe  sys- 
tem. The  water  may  be  returned  to  the  boiler  in  the  same 
pipe  by  which  steam  or  hot  water  is  supplied,  but  a  heavier 
pipe  is  required,  and  many  experts  prefer  the  2  pipe  system. 

For  steam,  allow  35%  of  straight  pipe  for  fittings,  for  hot 
water,  40.  When  there  is  little  time  to  take  off  a  bill  in 
detail  this  will  serve  for  an  estimate.  —*»•-•-—«»-  ^s, 

The  pipe  radiator  is  not  so  much  used  now,  as  the  others 
serve  for  both  steam  and  water  instead  of  steam  only  as  it 
does.  Each  loop  or  section  has  from  5  to  10  sq  ft  of  heating 
surf,  varying  with  height  and  width,  so  that  a  price  can  not 
be  set  without  size  and  number  of  loops  if  the  work  is 
taken  in  detail. 

HOT  BLAST: — I  have  had  something  of  a  prejudice  against 
the  fan  system  since  No.  3  was  built.  There  the  hot  air 
was  pumped  from  the  basement  at  such  a  rate  that  it  went 
through  the  roof  without  having  time  to  call  on  the  offices. 
The  tenants  used  to  sit  with  their  overcoats  on  while  the 
fireman  worked  below  throwing  coal  into  the  boilers.  The 
coal  and  vacant  office  bills  ran  so  high  that  the  system  was 
torn  out  and  steam  put  in  its  place.  I  have  been  assured  that 
office  buildings  are  now  successfully  heated  by  this  system — 
the  13  story  Builders'  Exchange  at  Buffalo,  for  example. 

But  for  halls,  schools,  theatres,  manufacturing  buildings 
etc,  the  system  is  a  success  if  carefully  installed.  Nos.  7,  8, 
and  14  are  heated  with  it.  As  a  rule  the  manufacturers  put 
in  the  plant  themselves.  An  aver  figure  for  complete  system 
is  from  ^  to  &c  per  cf.  But  this  does  not  include  any  boilers 
or  supply  pipes  leading  from  them.  There  are  various 
methods  of  installing  the  plant;  sometimes  ducts  are  used 
below  the  floor;  sometimes  pipes  overhead.  Prices  vary  ac- 
cording to  plans. 

FURNACES: — Approximately,  allow  $17  per  room  in  houses 
for  furnaces  ready  for  lighting.  Some  may  run  more,  some 
less — 5  to  7  rooms  about  $19.  The  heating  capacity  is  found 


292  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

by  cubing  the  entire  house  if  it  is  all  to  be  heated.  The  figures 
in  the  first  column  of  the  following  table  give  the  outside 
diam  of  the  furnace  casing;  in  the  second  col  the  number  of 
cf  heating  capacity;  in  the  third  col  the  price  del'd  at  build- 
ing, but  not  set.  There  are,  of  course,  a  hundred  different 
styles  with  as  many  different  claims,  so  that  some  allowance 
has  to  be  made  for  a  departure  from  an  aver  type. 

36"  10,000  to  12,000  cf . .                                         .  $56 

40"  12,000  to  15,000  cf 67 

42"  15,000  to  18,000  cf 80 

44"  18,000  to  23,000  cf 94 

48"  23,000  to  30,000  cf 109 

50"  30,000  to  40,000  cf 120 

A  margin  of  safety  is  allowed,  however,  as  a  furnace  should 
not  be  driven  to  the  limit.  A  40"  is  usually  put  in  a  5  to 
7  room  cottage  complete  at  $117.  A  soft  coal  furnace  is  a  little 
cheaper  than  one  for  hard  coal. 

Pipes  of  an  aver  size  may  be  estimated  in  place  at  25c 
all  through.  These  are  double;  6x22  single,  lined  with 
asbestos  paper,  35c  in  place.  An  easier  way  is  to  allow  $3.50 
to  $4  per  run  for  all  pipes  to  first  floor;  and  $8  to  second, 
including  box  and  shoe. 

Elbows  run  from  $3  to  $6  per  doz;  8"  and  9",  about  $3.50. 

After  material  is  made  ready  it  does  not  cost  much  to  put 
it  in  place;  aver  8  room  houses  run  from  $20  to  $28  for  all 
labor  on  furnace,  pipes,  and  registers.  One  roll  of  asbestos 
paper  is  sufficient  for  the  large  pipes  when  they  are  used. 
The  carpenter  sometimes  makes  the  fresh  air  duct  from  the 
nearest  window. 

CARLOAD: — There  is  about  35  furnaces  to  a  carload. 
REGISTERS: — There  are  many  kinds  of  registers;  but  a  fair 
idea  of  value  may  be  had  from  this  list: 

Size  in  Floor 

Inches  Register     Reg  Face   Border 

4x8..                      $0.45  $0.30  $0.28 

7x10 50  .35  .32 

9x12 63  .50  .39 

10x12 72  .53  .41 

10x20 2.69  1.50  1.16 


HEATING    AND     LIGHTING  293 

Size  in  Floor 

Inches                                                                             Register  Reg  Face  Border 

10x24 $3.65  $1.75  $1.54 

12x20 2.70  1.55  1.20 

12x24 3.66  1.75  1.56 

16x30 8.00  3.80  3.60 

18x36 11.40  4.90  3.60 

30x30 15.00  5.60  4.85 

38x42 36.00  15.00  11.00 

These  prices  are  for  black  japanned;  white  jap  are  20  to 
30%  higher;  gold,  silver,  copper,  nickel  plated  or  bronzed 
finish  registers  are  also  about  30%  more  than  black  jap. 
There  are  many  other  finishes  and  designs  with  special 
prices.  The  ordinary  wall  frame  is  2"  deep;  4"  costs  about 
50%  more. 

HOT  WATER  HEAT: — For  a  house  of  8  rooms  allow  $400  for 
hot  water  heat. 
GAS  WATER  HEATERS,  $10  to  $15  for  an  8  room  house. 

ELECTRIC  LIGHTING 

PRICE: — Allow  $2.50  on  aver  house  work,  for  each  It  with 
wiring,  switches,  cut-outs,  sockets,  etc,  complete.  This  is  for 
open  work,  weatherproof  wire.  For  concealed  work  with 
rubber  covered  wire,  $3.  For  open  work,  wire  only,  $2  per  It. 
These  prices  are  per  It,  not  outlet,  as  an  outlet  might  have- 
a  dozen  Its.  Push  button  switches,  $1  extra.  No.  14  wire 
is  used  for  ordinary  work. 

An  arc  It  costs  about  $30.     It  is  impossible  to  set  a  figure- 
on  the  large  work  for  such  buildings  as  Nos.  7  and  8;   and 
the  bids  showed  that  even  experts  do  not  agree  on  values. 
CONDUIT  WORK: — For  railroad  work  in  pipes  about  half  an 
inch  in  diam,  allow  from  $5  to  $6  per  It. 
COST  OF  HOUSE: — For  a  house  of  8  rooms  allow  $40  to  $50 
for   wiring;    and   about   the   same   for   fixtures.     But   wiring 
might  be  dbl  that  figure;  and  fixtures  10  times  as  much. 
DUPLEX: — For  each  lamp  controlled^  duplex  switch,  add 
about  $6. 

FACTORY: — For  factory  Its  with  large  number  of  drops 
to  tables,  benches,  etc,  $2.50  per  lamp. 


294  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

•PASSENGER    STATION:— For    the    aver    passenger    station, 
100  to  125'  long,  with  fixtures,  $140  to  $200. 

FREIGHT   DEPOTS:— For   freight   depots   100'   long,    $80    to 
$125. 

For  each  It  in  such  stations  $4;  but  $6  is  required  on  some 
buildings. 

ENGINE  HOUSES:— $70  per  stall. 

PRICES:— No.  14  rubber-covered  wire,  $12  per  1,000'. 
Green  drop  cord  5c  per  yd. 
Incandescent  lamps,  16  c  p  20c. 
Arc  lamp  (not  set  or  wired)  $12. 
Electro  duct  8c  per  ft. 

LIGHTING 

ACETYLENE  is  conveyed  in  pipes  the  same  as  gas,  so  that 
that  part  of  an  estimate  goes  on  the  12  to  15c  a  ft  price  as 
gas  pipes  do.  The  basis  for  usual  illumination  is  25  c  p  to 
each  square — the  incandescent  lamp  is  rated  at  16  c  p.  A 
room  10x10  lighted  with  acetylene  would  therefore  have  more 
than  1£  incandescent  power.  Burners  are  $4  per  doz.  Fix- 
tures are  of  all  prices,  like  those  for  gas  and  electricity. 
The  generators  fob  Omaha  run  about  as  follows: 

For  35  light $120    For  75  light $200    For  150  light . . .  $360 

For  50  light 140    For  100  light 240    For  200  light ...    400 

The  installation  of  the  generator  is  merely  a  case  of  low- 
ering it  into  place  and  connecting  it.  It  is  easier  set  than 
a  small  furnace. 

Sometimes  a  dbl  generator  is  used  and  this  runs  up  the 
price,  but  makes  a  better  plant.  Then  some  manufacturers 
put  in  better  material  than  others,  or  charge  a  higher  per- 
centage for  their  work.  With  good  fixtures  complete  I  have 
seen  bids  for  150  Its,  dbl  generator  at  $784;  200,  $822;  300, 
$894;  400,  $1,000;  and  again  a  plant  to  run  75  to  100  Its,  single 
generator,  with  fixtures  complete  for  $425. 

The  government  has  lighted  Fort  Meyer,  Va.,  and  many 
Indian  schools  with  acetylene. 


CHAPTER  XX 

TILING 

PRICE: — Out  of  18  designs  at  hand  17  run  from  50  to  65c 
per  sq  ft  of  hearth  tile  fob  Omaha.  The  exception  is  a  white 
body  and  white  and  gold  for  a  border.  That  runs  to  80c. 
The  sand  and  cement  are  to  be  added,  and  also  the  laying. 
Usually  everything  has  to  be  prepared  for  the  tilelayer  up  to 
within  1  inch  of  finished  surf,  so  that  there  is  only  \"  to  f" 
of  mortar.  A  layer  and  helper  should  finish  a  hearth  in  a 
day;  with  2  in  a  house  14  days  are  usually  sufficient.  But  time 
is  taken  up  going  from  building  to  building  as  the  work  does 
not  last  long.  The  surf  is  small,  so  that  profit  can  not  bo 
made  very  large  at  best;  expressage  is  to  be  paid  both  going 
and  coming,  and  store  rents  are  always  collected.  Allow 
from  75  to  90c  per  sq  ft  in  place  for  the  average  hearth. 
All  these  hearth  prices  include  border. 

FLOORS:— Marble  tile,  black  and  white,  about  lOxlOxf,  45 
to  50c  per  sq  ft  laid  with  \"  of  cement.  Tennessee  marble, 
6x6,  with  concrete,  60  to  75c  per  sq  ft. 

CEMENT  TILE  laid  on  2"  of  concrete  28c  for  sq  blocks 
about  10x10;  for  octagon,  2c  less.  Concrete  from  2  to  3  inches 
deep  is  put  from  7  to  8c  per  sq  ft  and  included. 

Hexagon,  white,  vitreous  tile,  3",  with  concrete,  70  to 
7f>c — on  a  large  piece  of  plain  work  50  to  55c  is  enough  even 
for  1|"  and  1"  hexagons,  as  in  bath  rooms. 

Hex,  buff,  unglazed.  3",  with  concrete,  40  to  45c. 

Encaustic  tile,  including  2"  of  concrete,  45  to  50c. 
TERRAZZO  floors  in  the  east  run  from  20  to  30c  per  sq  ft. 

Contractor's  profit  is- included  in  the  foregoing  prices,  which 
are  for  work  done  or  from  bids  put  in. 

SIZE: — But  the  size  of  tile  has  to  be  considered.  The  fac- 
tory list  has  4  divisions  according  to  number  of  pcs  in  a  sq 
ft;  4  to  65;  65  to  129;  129  to  513;  513  and  more.  The  follow- 
ing vitreous  list,  fob  Omaha,  will  give  a  fair  idea  of  the  dif- 
ference in  price: 


296  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

White,  Cream 36c  48c  60c  72c 

Silver  Gray 37c  49c  61c  73c 

Celadon,  Sage,  Light  Green,  Light  Blue..  43c  55c  68c  80c 

Dark  Blue,  Dark  Green 52c  54c  76c  91c 

Pink 58c  71c  83c  96c 

In  plain  colors,  semi-vitreous,  7  varieties,  4  divisions;  24c, 
40c,  54c,  70c. 

THICK  TILE:— f,  30c;  1",  35c;  unglazed  in  7  plain  colors. 
Glazed  tiles  are  worth  from  30  to  60%  more  than  unglazed. 

Imitation  mosaic  tiles  from  30  to  55c  per  sq  ft. 

Inlaid  tiles,  unglazed,  above  l$xl$,  from  70c  to  $1.50,  de- 
pending upon  the  colors.  Glazed,  from  30  to  60%  more. 

Round  tile  are  sold  at  the  same  rate  as  sq  tile  of  same  size. 

Enameled  tile  in  the  4  divisions  run  50c,  65c,  $1.30,  $1.85. 
These  prices  are  for  various  colors;  ox-blood,  red  enamel  is 
about  15c  per  sq  ft  extra  in  each  division. 

For  antique  or  dull-finish  tiles  on  white  body  add  25c  per 
sq  ft  to  enamel  prices. 

100  KINDS: — Out  of  more  than  100  floor  designs  with  un- 
glazed tile  the  lowest  price  is  24c  and  the  highest  65c.  Most 
are  between  25  to  35c.  Borders  are  the  same,  or  a  little  more 
or  less,  depending  upon  the  pattern. 

Ceramics,  \"  thick,  mounted  on  paper  or  twine,  run  to  35c 
per  sq  ft  in  several  dozens  of  patterns.  Borders  are  about 
the  same.  These  tiles  are  usually  about  f  to  1"  round,  sq, 
or  hexagon. 

Ceramic,  mosaic,  enameled  tile  are  about  3x£xJ,  and  cost 
65c. 

For  all  kinds  of  floor  tile  add  lOc  per  sq  ft  if  less  than  25  sq 
ft  in  order.     Letters  or  numbers,  lOc  each. 
WAINSCOTING: — With  cap  and  base  included  from  55  to  65c 
per  sq  ft.     Special  designs  are  of  course  higher,  but  the  fore- 
going prices  fob  give  a  beautiful  piece  of  work  in  enameled  and 
majolica.     But  white  enameled  6x2  can  be  set  complete  on  a 
good  sized  piece  of  work  for  65c;  white  opalite  about  lOc  less; 
and  there  are  wall  tiles  at  40c  set;  75c  to  $1  is  safe. 
MANTEL  FACINGS: — Here  we  enter  the  region  of  high  art 
with  prices  to  correspond.     For  the  6x6  size  17  tiles  are  al- 


TILING  297 

lowed  to  a  mantel;  for  the  4^x4^,  26.  For  the  set,  enameled, 
from  $2  to  $6;  gold  decorated,  $8  to  $12;  Palissy  decorated, 
$4;  gold  and  Palissy,  $12.  But  in  renaissance  the  prices  soar 
from  $10  to  $50.  If  special  designs  the  cost  is  even  more. 

DECORATED  TILE:— Palissy,  embossed,  from  80c  to  $1.75 
per  sq  ft;  gold,  $1.50  to  $3;  gold  and  Palissy,  $2.15  to  $3.75. 
Solid  gold  on  plain  tile,  $4  to  $5.  Hand  painted  work  is 
priced  according  to  the  reputation  of  the  artist. 

BASE,  CAPE,  COVE,  AND  BEAD  TILES:— The  prices  run 
from  12  to  25c  for  each  piece  6"  long.  Angles  are  50%  dearer. 
These  prices  are  for  glazed  or  enameled  tile — gold  decorated 
work  is  from  2  to  3  times  as  much  more. 

MARBLE  BASE,  $1.65  per  ft  in  place. 
BRASS  FOOT  RAIL,  $1.25,  in  place. 

BATH  ROOM  BASE  with  cove,  65c  in  place,  profit  included. 
If  walls  are  tiled,  75c  per  sq  ft. 

MEASUREMENT: — An  accurate  plan  should  be  sent  to  the 
factory.  One  plan  is  better  than  10  letters.  Tile  should  be 
measured  by  the  sq  ft;  cap  and  base  for  wall  tile  may  be 
taken  by  the  If,  each  tile  figured  6"  long.  Special  care  must 
be  taken  with  all  angles,  stops  and  returns. 
QUANTITY: — There  is  always  waste  in  laying.  The  factory 
sends  2%  more  than  enough  to  cover  the  surface  unless 
special  orders  to  the  contrary  are  given,  so  that  this  extra 
must  be  included  in  the  price.  Tile,  unlike  pressed  brick, 
may  be  returned.  One  bbl  of  Port  cement  will  lay  100  ft 
of  tile.  Make  mortar  1  to  1.  Concrete  should  be  3"  deep, 
of  1  to  3  if  natural  cement  is  used.  (See  Chap  III.)  Wood 
strips  are  required  for  guides.  The  "  Tile  Manufacturers  of 
the  U.  S."  specify  Keene's  imported  cement  for  wall  tile  joints. 
"FACTS  ABOUT  TILE."  Enameled  and  wall  tiles  when 
packed  weigh  about  5£  Ibs  to  ft;  plain  unglazed  floor  tiles, 
about  6  Ibs;  vitreous  floor  tiles,  6£.  Ceramic,  mosaic,  tiles, 
i"  thick,  2J  Ibs  to  ft;  plain  and  vitreous  floor,  as  well  as 
enamel  and  wall  tiles,  are  about  i  thick.  A  large  bbl  holds 
about  85'  of  wall  or  enamel  tile;  small  bbl,  50  to  60';  lar&e 
bbl,  60'  of  plain  unglazed  tile;  small  bbl,  52. 


298 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


BASE: — Concrete  is  often  put  down  upon  a  rough  wood  floor; 
sometimes  the  floor  or  support  is  cut  in  between  the  joists; 
again,  ex  metal  is  used:  the  base  must  be  estimated  in  its 
proper  place  separate  from  tile.  All  work  is  usually  prepared 
to  within  1"  of  finished  surf  for  the  tiler,  unless  a  specially 
thick  tile  is  used.  Allow  half  an  inch  for  mortar  in  all  cases. 

LABOR: — The  prices  already  given,   unless   otherwise  speci- 
fied are  fob  Omaha.     Hauling,   mortar,  and  labor  are  to  be 
added.     Ceramics   are   not   much   more   difficult   to   lay   than 
ordinary  tile  for  they  are  all  mounted  on  paper  or  cord. 
Number  of  pcs  of  different  sized  tile  in  a  sq  ft. 


Size 

In  a 
Sq  Ft 

Size 

6     x6 

4 

9  x3 

41  x41 

8 

71x3| 

3     x3 

16 

6  x4 

21  x2i 

32 

6  x3 

2     x2 

36 

6  x2 

14  xi4 

64 

6  x!4 

128 

6  xl 

1     xl 

144 

6  x  | 

1  x  | 

256 

6  x  4 

1    „    1 

576 

6    diag 

8 

41x14 

44  diag 

16 

41x1^ 

3     diag 

32 

41x  | 

24  diag 

64 

4  x4 

2     diag 

72 

3  x!4 

14  diag 
1^  diag 

128 
256 

3  xl 
3  x  | 

1     diag 

288 

3x4 

1  diag 

512 

3x1 

4  diag 

1152 

In  a 

In  a 

SqFt 

Size 

Sq  Ft 

54 

2  xl 

72 

54 

21x1  }V 

64 

6 

I4x  i 

128 

8 

6"  oct 

4; 

12 

41"  oct 

9. 

16 

3"  oct 

i8i 

24 

6  x3  hex 

10^ 

32 

6"  hex 

6J 

48 

3"  hex 

24 

16 

2*  hex 

54 

22f 

1"  hex 

205 

32 

3"  lozenge 

184 

45 
9 

3"  triangle 
14"  triangle 

37 

144 

32 

|  Round 

250 

48 

Stars 

44 

64 

Cross 

63 

96 

14  Round 

814 

192 

Cusps 

298 

COMPARISON: — As  a  comparison  of  cost  a  large  contract 
was  listed  as  follows:  For  tiling  on  tables,  $1.15;  on  floors, 
$1.05;  on  walls,  95c. 

Labor  should  not  be  more  than  35c  per  sq  ft  on  tile  alone, 
not  including  base  of  concrete. 

INTERLOCKING  RUBBER  TILE  is  laid  preferably  on  a 
cement  base.  It  is  f"  thick,  waterproof,  noiseless,  lasting, 
— and  expensive.  One  brand  costs  85c  fob  Philadelphia.  With 


TILING  299 

base  of  concrete  at  8c,  laying  of  tile  8c,  we  have  a  price  of 
$1.01  per  sq  ft  without  freight. 

Another  maker  lists  his  at  $1.35.  Still  another  price  is  $1 
fob  New  York;  and  a  maker  in  Akron,  O.,  gives  $1  fob  there. 

BASE: — For  a  rubber  baseboard,  2  members,  6|"  high,  $1.05 
per  If,  New  York.  Setting,  about  6c  per  If.  One  maker  allows 
3  to  5c. 

STEP  NOSINGS,  $1  per  If 
Any  colors  are  supplied. 

CORRUGATED  floor  rubber  per  yd,  $1.30. 

AN  ASBESTOS  SANITARY  COMPOSITION  floor  is  one  type 
of  several.  It  takes  2*  Ibs  of  dry  material  to  the  sq  ft  \" 
thick.  For  every  2$  bbls  of  dry  material,  or  750  Ibs,  1  bbl  of 
liquid  is  supplied,  600  Ibs.  In  Philadelphia  the  price  is  6£c 
per  Ib  for  the  dry,  but  the  liquid  is  included.  For  a  floor 
18x50,  or  100  sq  yds,  an  estimate  would  be,  without  freight: 

2,250  Ibs  of  dry  at  6£c $146.25 

Labor  of  cement  finisher  and  laborer 18.00 

Unloading,    etc    10.00 

$174.25 

Or  per  sq  $19.36.  This  is  about  20c  per  sq  ft  without  freight 
or  profit.  Quantities  are  usually  given  too  small  by  manu- 
facturers. 

ASBESTOLITH,  another  floor  of  the  same  kind,  is  laid  in  St. 
Louis  for  35c  per  sq  ft,  profit  included,  and  base  for  50c  per  If. 

"  MONOLITH,"  another  floor  costs  25c,  and  base  I8c. 

"  MARBLEOID  "  costs  about  85c  sq  ft  laid;  and  "  SANITAS  " 

fireproof  floor,  35c. 

CORKOLIN   costs   from   14   to   18c  per   sq   ft  laid. 
WOOD  PULP  floors,  per  sq  ft,  28c. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

COST   OF  BUILDINGS  PER   SQ  AND  CF 

Only  approximate  estimates  can  be  taken  from  the  follow- 
ing figures.  Local  conditions  affect  the  result  so  much  that 
one  building  might  cost  25%  more  than  another  of  the  same 
size,  in  the  same  section  of  the  country,  and  at  the  same 
rate  for  labor  and  material.  In  the  one  case  the  ground  might 
be  12'  below  grade,  and  in  the  other  as  much  above;  piling 
might  be  required  in  the  one  and  rock  blasting  in  the  other. 
Sometimes  25%  of  the  total  cost  of  a  building  is  expended 
before  foundations  are  up  to  grade.  But  for  aver  buildings 
approx  figures  are  useful. 

SCHOOL  HOUSES:— No.  12  built  about  15  yrs  ago,  of  plain 
design,  $75  per  scholar;  8  rooms,  400  seats;  brick  and  wood 
construction.  Another  Omaha  school  house  erected  later  of 
the  same  size  costs  $115.  Material  and  labor  are  higher,  and 
the  design  is  more  ornate.  In  the  country  the  cost  might  be 
reduced  from  10  to  15%. 

An  addition  to  the  Omaha  high  school,  finished  in  1913, 
strictly  fireproofed,  Bedford  stone  on  3  fronts,  16c  per  cf. 
The  complete  cost  was  about  $775,000.  With  4  stone  fronts 
the  cost  might  have  run  to  18c. 

The  H  plan  for  school  houses  has  been  adopted  in  New 
York.  "Upwards  of  eighty  school  buildings  have  been  con- 
structed since  1896,  and  the  aver  cost  of  building  has  been 
only  18c  per  cf."  They  are  fireproof.  These  80  cost  about 
$12,000,000. 

A  high  school  erected  in  Boston,  Mass.,  cost  22.39c;  and 
another  24.98,  both  fireproof. 

A  number  of  schools  in  St  Louis,  not  fireproof,  ran  from 
14  to  17c  per  cf;  and  from  $5,600  to  $6,700  per  room. 

A  fireproof  school  in  Palo  Alto,  Cal.,  cost  18c  per  cf. 

From  lOc  per  cf  up  to  15c  will  build  non-fireproof  schools; 
and  from  18c  to  30c  fireproof  ones. 

300 


COST  OF   BUILDINGS   PER  SQ  AND   CF  301 

FIRE  ENGINE  HOUSES: — At  low  cost  an  Omaha  house  was 
built  for  6c  per  cf ;  at  high,  the  city  paid  $4.25  per  sq  ft  for 
one;  and  lie  per  cf  for  another. 

WAREHOUSES:— Three  of  the  largest  in  Omaha,  built  when 
prices  were  low,  cost  from  6£  to  8c  per  cf.  They  are  of  mill 
construction,  and  from  5  to  6  stories  high.  Bids  on  2  others 
ran  under  7c.  One  of  cheaper  construction  cost  5£c.  One 
story  12'  high,  no  basement,  1.80  per  sq  ft. 

Another  building  with  600,000  cf  cost  16c,  but  this  figure 
was  reduced  to  13c,  if  heavy  retaining  wall, — not  properly  to 
be  charged  to  structure, — steel  roof,  and  piling  were  omitted. 
Partly  used  for  office.  Tile  roof. 

WAREHOUSE: — "The  Railroad  Gazette,"  in  a  good  article, 
gives  the  comparative  cost  of  slow  burning  wood,  and  a  steel 
frame  factory  building  with  brick  walls.  The  floors  are 
designed  for  load  of  100  Ibs  to  sq  ft.  The  size  is  60'xlOO', 
7  stories  high.  Cost  of  slow  burning  construction,  $35,000; 
fireproof,  $57,000.  Per  cf  6.2c  and  10.2c;  per  sq  ft  of  entire 
area  83c  and  $1.36.  Cost  of  floors  and  cols  per  sq  ft  27c  and  75c, 


SLOW  BURNING  FIREPROOF 

Excavation 1,800  cy       1,800  cy 

Cellar  floor 6,000  sq  ft  6,000  sq  ft 

Foundation  concrete. .  150  cy       150  cy 

Brick 39,000  cf        39.000  cf 

Windows,  4'x7' 238            238 

Roofing 60  sqs      60  sqs 

Timber,  yp 116,000  ft  bm,  Steel  Columns. .      105  tons 

Flooring,  yp 73,000  ft  bm,  Steel  Beams... .      252  tons 

Flooring,  f"  yp 46,000  ft  bm,  Concrete  Floors 

Iron  Work 46  tons       and  Roof 42,000  sq  ft 


The  building  is  very  plain.  Basement  walls,  24";  17"  for 
next  4  stories;  13"  for  2  top  stories. 

For  ordinary  construction  lOc  is  now  (1912)  a  fair  price 
in  the  up-to-date  part  of  the  continent;  but  7c  might  be 
enough  where  material  and  wages  are  low.  As  to  fireproof 
work  it  may  run  from  16c  to  50c.  A  fine  building  erected  in 


302  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

1904  in  Atlanta,  for  example,  cost  41c.  The  Letter  Building, 
Chicago,  wholesale  and  retail  store,  with  granite  on  3  sides, 
8  stories,  cost  in  1892,  less  than  20c. 

A  very  plain  storehouse  of  2  stories,  no  basement,  brick 
walls,  reinforced  concrete  floors,  and  galv  iron  frames  in  1907 
ran  to  $6.34  per  sq  ft  of  ground  area,  and  161c  per  cf,  but  this 
included  $5,000  for  shelving.  Size  49'-4"  by  SO',  and  153,900  cf 
to  under  side  of  first  floor. 

"  CONCRETE  BUILDINGS  are  practically  the  same  in  cost 
as  similar  ones  of  steel  frame  construction  up  to  about  6 
stories  in  height  in  most  parts  of  the  United  States. 

"For  warehouses  and  manufacturing  buildings,  concrete  is 
as  reasonable  as  timber  in  first  cost,  unless  the  latter  is  com- 
paratively cheap.  Late  bids  on  10  and  more  story  loft  and 
office  buildings  in  New  York  City  were  approximately  10% 
higher  than  bids  for  steel  frame  buildings  received  at  the 
same  time.  On  the  other  hand,  bids  for  manufacturing  build- 
ings 6  stories  high  were  the  same  percentage  lower  for  con- 
crete than  for  steel  frames.  First  costs  for  mill  construc- 
tion warehouses  up  to  8  stories  in  height  were  slightly  less 
than  for  similar  buildings  of  concrete.  One  story  structures  can 
be  erected  with  flat  concrete  roofs  under  favorable  circum- 
stances as  cheaply  as  in  timber,  unless  the  latter  may  be  of 
open  joist  construction. 

In  general,  little  can  be  saved  by  building  in  concrete,  ex- 
cept in  liability  of  loss  by  fire  and  its  attendant  inconveni- 
ences, delays,  etc. 

In  engine  beds,  col  footings,  etc,  the  old  style  unreinforced 
design,  which  has  proved  eminently  satisfactory  in  the  past, 
is  often  cheaper  than  the  new  style  of  reinforced  work." — 
Engineering  Record. 

FACTORIES: — Cotton  mills  are  usually  estimated  by  the  sq 
ft  taken  on  all  floors.     In  New  England  the  cost  runs  from 
85c  to   1.25,  while  in   some  southern   states   70c   is   a  large 
enough  figure. 
In  1884  Mr.  Edward  Atkinson  gave  the  following  estimates: 


COST  OF  BUILDINGS   PER  SQ  AND  CF  303 

MILL  with  3   stories  for  machinery  and  a  basement,  75  to 

80c. 

MILL  with  2,  as  above,  no  basement,  65c. 

MILL  with  1  story,  about  1  acre  of  floor,  and  small  basement, 
85c. 

The  cf  price  is  from  lOc  to  14c. 

"  FACTORY  BUILDINS  of  reinforced  concrete,"  says  one  au- 
thority, "  including  windows,  doors,  and  roofing,  cost  from 
8  to  16c  per  cf." 

SPRINKLER  SYSTEM:— For  a  system  installed  in  a  7  story 
building  with  56,000  sq  ft  of  ceiling,  the  cost  was  $5,500,  or 
practically  lOc  per  sq  ft. 

The  following  extracts  of  a  letter  from  an  Eastern  Mutual 
Fire  Ins  Co.,  give  some  useful  figures  on  sprinklers: 

COST: — "In  general  the  cost  of  automatic  sprinkler  system 
installed  (wet  pipe)  is  not  less  than  $3  per  sprinkler,  this, 
however,  including  only  the  pipe  inside  the  building.  In 
large  cities  where  cost  of  labor  is  heigher  and  hours  shorter, 
this  cost  runs  up  to  something  over  $4.  If  a  dry  pipe  sys- 
tem is  installed  it  will  add  about  $1  for  each  sprinkler  head 
installed. 

AREA: — The  aver  area  covered  by  1  sprinkler  is  perhaps  75 
sq  ft.  Under  light  forms  of  construction  the  area  is  not  over 
60  sq  ft,  whereas  in  the  better  types  of  fireproof  and  slow 
burning  construction  the  area  per  sprinkler  varies  between 
90  and  100  sq  ft.  This  will  give  some  idea  as  to  the  approx 
cost  of  equipping  the  building. 

SUPPLY: — To  these  figures  there  has  to  be  added  the  cost  of 
the  water  supplies.  In  some  cases  elevated  tanks  are  needed 
in  connection  with  fire  pumps  and  in  other  cases  public  ser- 
vice connections  are  made  with  either  tank  or  pump  as  may 
be  deemed  best  to  suit  the  conditions. 

The  cost  of  tanks  and  pumps  varies  considerably  from  time 
to  time." 

GRAIN 'ELEVATORS:— To  build  an  entire  plant— dryer 
house,  power  house,  coal  sheds,  office,  etc.,  allow  $11.00  per 


304  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

sq  ft  of  elevator  proper  taken  on  ground  floor  only.  For 
elevator  alone,  $8.60.  For  equipment,  allow  about  30%  of 
total  cost  of  all  buildings.  This  plant  cost  nearly  $220,000. 
Minor  buildings  of  brick,  main  one  of  wood. 

Another  cost  $11  on  basis  of  sq  ft  of  elevators  proper  on 
ground  floor;  and  $7.50  for  elevators  alone.  About  $320,000. 
Brick  and  wood  as  on  first. 

BRICK  STORES  AND  FLATS  ABOVE:— I  have  put  in  bids 
for  a  large  number  of  these  buildings,  but  have  let  the  sizes 
slip.  A  figure  of  10  to  14c  per  cf  seems  about  right.  For 
frame  buildings  7  to  lOc. 

FLATS: — For  dbl  2-story  and  basement  brick,  hardwood  fin- 
ish on  first  floor,  $210  per  If  from  front  to  back;  £5  per  sq  ft 
on  area  of  first  flooor,  or  16c  per  cf. 

I  built  a  pair  in  1907-8,  and  the  assessor  got  the  value  cor- 
rectly enough — much  more  so  than  on  large  business  build- 
ings. This  figure  does  not  include  any  profit. 

For  frame,  15%  less. 

But  what  are  known  as  flats  in  New  York,  with  fine 
masonry,  elevators,  and  strictly  modern  equipment  run  as 
high  as  25  to  35c  for  fire  resisting  floors  and  wood  con- 
struction. 

TENEMENTS: — Allow  from  $375  to  $450  per  room. 
HOSPITALS:— No.  2,  strictly  fireproofed,  14c  per  cf;  No.  1, 
of  wood  construction,  about  half  as  much;  but  both  are  only 
shells  with  practically  no  partitions.  For  fireproofed  build- 
ings fully  equipped,  30  to  40c.  General  hospitals  per  bed, 
$550  to  $800.  Cottage,  $1,100  to  $1,200.  Complete  hospital 
"plant,"  per  bed,  $1,800  to  $2,400. 

HOTELS: — From  20c  for  brick  with  ordinary  construction  to 
50c  per  cf  for  fireproof  work. 

Brown-Palace  hotel,  Denver,  30c;  fireproof  hotel,  New  York, 
44c. 

RESIDENCES: — Anywhere  from  lOc  per  cf.  One  of  the  best 
houses  in  Omaha  cost  from  20c  to  22c,  brick;  a  better  one  of 
stone,  about  37c,  but  neither  is  fireproofed.  Chicago  price 
for  city  dwellings,  17  to  20c.  For  frame  houses  without  mod- 
ern improvements,  with  shingle  roofs,  $300  to  $350  per  room; 


COST  OF   BUILDINGS   PER  SO   AND   CF  305 

with  modern  imps,  and  part  or  all  hardwood  finish,  slate  roofs, 
$450  to  $700.  Brick  houses,  8  to  10  rooms,  16c,  ordinary  finish 
with  hardwood  on  first  floor. 

Two  story  flats  as  already  given  are  $5  on  ground  area,  or 
$2.50  if  both  floors  are  taken.  Residences  may  run  all  the 
way  from  $1.50  per  sq  ft  of  floor  space  to  $10,  and  this  with- 
out dealing  with  palaces. 

VENEERED  houses  15  to  20c. 

For  a  2  story  frame,  brick  basement,  27,x56',  finished  for 
family  on  each  floor,  heated  and  modern,  pitched  roof,  $3.60 
per  sq  ft  of  ground  floor,  and  10*c  per  cf. 

COTTAGES:— See  Chap  XXVII. 

SLAUGHTER  HOUSES:— Seventeen  cents  per  cf. 

DRILL  HALLS:— Sixteen  to  20c  or  $2  to  $3. 

CHURCHES:— Twenty  to  50c;  $5  to  $14  per  sq  ft;  per  sitting 
$60  to  $150. 

PUBLIC  BATHS:— From  35c  to  45c. 

THEATRES:— Per  chair,  $60  tc  $120     per  cf,  30c  to  50c. 

ORDINARY  CITY  HALLS:— From  25  to  40c. 

COURT  HOUSE:— Cook  Co.,  Chicago,  said  to  be  the  largest 
in  the  United  States  contains  12,000,000  cf,  and  the  unit  cost 
was  35c.  Ordinary  25  to  30c. 

GARAGE: — Of  cement  construction  16  to  ISc  per  cf. 

STABLES:— From  18  to  22c;  $2.50  to  $3.25;  per  animal  $230 
to  $100  on  ordinary  building. 

DAIRY  BARNS: — Large  frame  barns,  $1.50  per  sq  ft,  5c  to 
6c  cf.  Concrete  basement.  Brick,  7  to  8c. 

GREENHOUSES: — Ordinary  construction,  50c  per  sq  ft;  with 
brick  foundations,  60.  This  is  for  the  very  cheapest  style  of 
construction,  heated  by  supply  from  another  building. 

The  following  figures  are  from  the  leading  greenhouse 
builder  in  the  United  States.  At  best  they  are  approximate, 
because  each  installation  has  its  own  details  and  environ- 
ments. Some  require  a  temperature  of  45  to  50  degrees; 


306 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


others,  65  to  70;  there  are  all  cypress  wood  benches;  iron 
frame  benches  and  with  cypress  sides  and  bottom;  or  cypress 
and  porous  tile  or  slate;  and  the  same  ground  plan  might 
have  an  elevation  costing  twice  as  much  as  another. 

The  first  col  gives  the  cost  of  house  proper,  the  "  extras  " 
col  is  for  excavation,  foundation,  boiler,  cellar,  work  room, 
and  hauling.  No  grading  included,  as  that  item  is  uncer- 
tain, water  supply  not  brought  to.  building,  and  no  cement 
sidewalks  included  outside. 

Area  of  house  proper  only  is  taken  for  both  cols:  work 
room  is  about  12'x20'. 

THE  COST  is  given  within  a  hundred  miles  of  New  York. 

The  construction  is  of  iron  frame  ventilated,  heated,  water 
piped,  galv  iron  plant  bench  with  cypress  sides  and  porous 
tile  bottoms  for  greenhouses;  and  the  same  with  slate  tops 
for  palmhouses. 


Description 

1| 
&& 

8 

2§l 

p 

1 

X 

H   • 

Sq  Ft  Price 
Complete 

No.  1,  18'x33'  4",  Shingles  3'  0"  High  on 
Studs  and  Boarding;  above  Straight 
Double  Slope  Roof  

$1,500 

$2.50 

$380 

$3.30 

No  2  18'x66'  8"  as  above  

2,700 

2.25 

460 

2.64 

No.  3,  1,167  sq  ft,  Curved  Roof,  Masonry 
Walls  about  3'  above  ground    

3  100 

2.66 

900 

3.43 

No.  4,  1,000  sq  ft,  Curved  and  Straight 
Roofs  Masonry  a<s  on  No  3              • 

3  300 

3  30 

1100 

4  40 

No.  5,  1,465  sq  ft,  otherwise  as  No.  4... 
No.  6,  600  sq  ft,  Curved  and  Straight 
Roofs    and  Masonry  as  No    3     ... 

4,300 
2,000 

2.94 
3.34 

1100 
800 

3.68 
4.67 

No.  7,  2,000  sq  ft  Curved  and  Straight 
Roofs,    High    Palm  house    in   Center, 
Masonry  as  No  3 

7  400 

3.70 

1400 

4.40 

OFFICE    BUILDINGS:— About    1897    to    1905    several    fine 
Chicago  office  buildings,  fireproofed,  were  erected  for  20  to  22c 


COST  OF   BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND   CF  307 

per  cf,  but  this  is  too  low  a  figure  now;  50c  is  about  right 
Mr.  Kidder  gives  a  list  of  20  fireproof  buildings  running  from 
25  to  63c  with  an  average  of  40.  For  wood  construction,  18  to 
25c. 

No.  3  taken  at  the  level  of  the  first  floor  cost  complete  $20 
per  sq  ft.  It  is  of  wood  construction,  but  fireproofed  with  tile 
throughout. 

The  following  percentages  are  taken  by  permission  from 
"  Fireproof  Magazine,"  Chicago.  They  relate  to  an  office 
building: 


"The  Foundation  Cost Ifc  per  cf  of  building 

Steel  Framing 2\ 

Granite  and  All  Masonry ll\ 

Cornice,  Roofs  and  Skylights f 

Fireproof  Floors • f 

Partitions  (Tile) f 

All  Plastering  (Plain  and  Ornamental) 1  \ 

Elevator  Fronts  and  all  Ornamental  Metal 
Work 2 

Marble  Work 3 

Hardware 

Joiner  Work 

Glass T6¥ 

Painting  and  Varnish -fa 

Electric  Wiring $ 

Heating 1£ 

Plumbing | 

Elevators 1 

Stairs,  scenic  structural  framing,  "making 
ends  meet,"  lamp  fixtures,  etc.  What 
might  be  called  a  fair  amount  for  "con- 
tingencies" in  such  a  building,  including 
lesser  items  not  mentioned  here  but  grouped 
together 4^ 

Architect's  Fe6 If 

In  all 34T5¥  cents  a  cf  for  a 

building  of  that  character  ready  to  have  furniture  moved  in. 


To  show  that  some  of  those  figures  remain  pretty  constant, 
in  the  same  relation  to  total  size,  the  Chicago  Post  Office,  a 
building  of  12,000,000  cf  and  of  monumental  character  and 


308  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

finish,  costs,  in  some  of  its  items,  pretty  nearly  the  same  as 
that  office  building. 


Its  Foundation  Cost Ifc  a  cf  of  entire  building 

The  Steel  Framing 2| 

Granite  and  Masonry 13j 

Fireproof  Floors 

Plaster,  Plain  and  Ornamental I1, 

Ornamental  Metal  Work 

Marble 

Plumbing 
Heating 


PER  SQ  FT: — An  office  building  erected  for  a  R.R.  with  2 
stories,  no  basement,  brick  walls,  tile  roof,  wood  construc- 
tion, 8,500  sq  ft,  cost  $7.50  per  sq  ft  of  ground  area,  which 
is  a  far  too  high  figure  for  a  plain  building,  especially  when 
heated  from  a  central  plant. 

THE  VENTILATING  SYSTEM  for  above  building  cost,  for 
pipes  and  ducts,  $750;  motor  and  fan,  $850;  registers,  $75. 

FRAME  OFFICES:— Owing  to  the  high  cost  of  lumber  in 
some  sections  of  the  country  1-story  frame  office  buildings, 
with  shingle  roofs,  now  run  from  8  to  12c  per  cf,  or  $1.40  to 
$1.60  per  sq  ft. 

VAULTS:— Ordinary  with  hollow  brick  walls.     One  10'xlO'x 
8'-9"  with  13"  and  9"  walls,  no  shelving,  but  lining  and  door, 
$450. 
Steel  shelving  complete,  $850. 

LIBRARIES: — Allow  for  the  fireproofed  buildings  30  to  50c 
per  cf;  for  wood  construction,  18  to  25c. 

Y.  M.  C.  A.'s: — From  12  to  24c  per  cf  in  brick  and  wood.  The 
Omaha  building  finished  in  1907  is  132'xl57',  and  76'  above 
the  ground  in  front.  It  contains  100,000  sq  ft  of  floor  space, 
and  1,768,000  cf.  It  cost  $230,000  or  $2.30  per  sq  ft;  13c  per  cf; 
about  $11  on  area  of  street  floor. 

SEPTIC  TANKS:— On  a  style  usefl  by  the  U.  S.  Government, 
$675  for  40  families.  No  piping  leading  to  building. 


COST  OF  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  309 

A  large  manufacturer  supplies  the  following  prices  for  his 
system: 

Residences  occupied  by  an  average  number  of  8  people, 
$250.00;  residences  occupied  by  an  average  number  or'  10 
people,  $275;  residences  occupied  by  an  average  number  of  12 
people,  $300.00. 

School  buildings  occupied  by  300  people,  $600.00;  school 
buildings  occupied  by  350  people,  $650.00;  school  buildings  oc- 
cupied by  400  people,  $700.00;  school  buildings  occupied  by 
500  people,  $800.00. 

Institutions  occupied  by  an  average  number  of  100  i-eople, 
$600.00. 

Another  maker  quotes  $100  on  steel  tanks  of  200  galls  each, 
for  10  people.  Freight,  brickwork,  excavation,  etc,  would  be 
about  $100  more. 

It  has  been  proposed  to  put  septic  tanks  in  the  basements 
of  the  skyscrapers.  The  United  Gas  Improvement  Co.  build- 
ing, Philadelphia,  has  had  a  satisfactory  one  since  1901.  In 
these  tanks  the  sewage  is  changed  by  bacteriological  action, 
and  nothing  left  but  a  comparatively  pure  water.  Smaller 
sewers  would  serve  under  this  system,  and  the  disposal  of  the 
effluent  be  easier.  Jerusalem  was  said  to  be  a  clean  city  be- 
cause each  householder  swept  before  his  own  door.  In  the 
future  each  building  may  be  made  to  purify  its  own  sewage. 

EXPOSITION  BUILDINGS:— At  Chicago  the  Forestry  Build- 
ing cost  75c  per  sq  ft;  the  Administration,  $9.18;  2  others 
$2.12  and  $2.35;  and  the  rest  from  $1.04  to  $1.69. 

At  St.  Louis  the  Art  Pavilions,  $5.45;  Government  buildings, 
$2.43;  agriculture,  58c;  and  the  others  from  77c  to  $1.38. 

POST  OFFICES: — They  run  from  21c  up  to  $1.23  per  cf. 


Omaha,  Neb $0 . 71  per  cf  Fort  Scott,  Kans ...$0.31  per  cf 

So.  Omaha 25  per  cf  St.  Louis,  Mo 97  per  cf 

Lincoln 43  per  cf  Kansas  City,  Mo 57  per  cf 

Beatrice 31  per  cf  Chicago,  111 49  per  cf 

Nebr.  City 21  per  cf  Denver,  Colo 50  per  cf 

Co.  Bluffs,  Iowa 45  per  cf  St.  Paul,  Minn 65  per  cf 

Sioux  City,  Iowa. . .      .17  per  cf  New  York 1 . 03  per  cf 

Wichita,  Kans 23  per  cf  Boston. 1 . 23  per  cf 


310  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

INSURANCE    ADJUSTERS   ALLOWANCES   AS   COMPILED 
BY  JAS.  N.  BROWN,  ST.  LOUIS,  1902 

FARM  AND  COUNTRY  PROPERTY  per  CF  Cta 

Dwellings,  Frame,  Small  Box  House,  no  Cornice 4 

Dwellings,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  Small  Cornice,  plain 5  to    6 

Dwellings,  Brick,  Same  Class 7  to  8 

Dwellings,   Frame,   Shingle   Roof,   Good  Cornice,   Sash 

Weights,  Blinds,  Good  House 7  to    8 

Dwellings,  Brick,  Same  Class,  Good  House 9  to  10 

Barns,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  not  Painted,  Plain  Finish.. .  1$  to  2$ 

Barns,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  Painted,  Good  Foundation..  2J  to    3 

Stores,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  Painted,  Plain  Finish 5  to    7 

Stores,  Brick,  Shingle  Roof,  Painted,  Good  Cornice  and 

Finish 7  to    9 

Ordinary  Wood  Churches  and  Schools 5  to    7 

Ordinary  Brick  Churches  and  Schools 8  to  10 

If  Slate  or  Metal  Roof  Add  £c  per  ft. 

CITY  AND  VILLAGE  PROPERTY 
Dwellings,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  Pine  Floors  and  Finish, 

no  Bath  Room  or  Furnace,  Good  House 6    to    7 

Dwellings,  Brick,  Same  Class 8    to    9 

Dwellings,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  Hardwood  Floor  in  Hall 

and  Parlor,  Bath,  Furnace  and  Fair  Plumbing 8    to    9 

Dwellings,  Brick,  Same  Class 8    to  10 

Dwellings,  Frame,  Shingle  Roof,  Hardwood  First  Floor, 

Good   Plumbing,    Furnace,   Artistic   Design,    Interior 

Ornamentation,  Well  Painted 10    to  12 

Dwellings,  Brick,  Good  Plumbing,  Bath,  Hot  and  Cold 

Water,  Pine  Finish,  Well  Painted,  no  Hardwood  Finish,!  1    to  12 

Prices  have  risen  since  1902  and  the  foregoing  figures 
should  be  increased  about  10  to  15%. 

DEPRECIATION 

Several  buildings  in  Europe  are  more  than  a  thousand  years 
old,  and  from  that  down  to  a  hundred  the  list  is  without  end. 
Many  frame  houses  in  the  United  States  are  more  than  a 
century  old,  and  will  last  for  a  long  time  to  come.  It  is  well 
to  remember  this  in  reading  the  following  table: 

THE  WEAR  AND  TEAR  OF  BUILDING   MATERIALS 

At  the  tenth  annual  meeting  of  the  Fire  Underwriters'  Asso- 
ciation of  the  Northwest,  held  at  Chicago  in  September,  1879. 


COST  OF  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF 


311 


Mr.  A.  W.  Spalding  read  a  paper  on  the  wear  and  tear  of 
building  materials,  and  tabulated  the  result  of  his  investiga- 
tions in  the  following  form: 


Material    in 
Building 

Frame  Dw'ng 

Brick    Dw'ng 
(Sh'gle  Roof) 

Frame  Store 

Brick  Store 
(Sh'gle  Roof) 

B 

f 

1 

a. 

bo  °^ 

f 

Per  Cent  o 
Depreciatio 
Per  Annum 

Average  Lif 
Years 

111 

r 

III 

Brick  

75 
30 
7 
7 
16 
40 

50 

20 
30 
30 
30 
40 
30 
20 
20 
16 

40 

75 

11 

14 
14 
6 
2i 

'2 

5 

P 

5 
5 
6 

if 

16 
5 
5 
16 
30 
30 
40 
13 
25 
25 
20 
30 
30 
13 
20 
16 

25 

40 

20 
20 
6 

8 
4 
4 
5 

8 
5 
6 

4 
2| 

66 
30 
6 
6 
16 
40 

50 
13 
30 
30 
20 
30 
30 
13 
20 
16 

30 
66 

16 
16 
6 
2i 

2 

8 

5 

3J 
8 
5 
6 

3i 

1* 

Plastering  
Painting,  Outside 
Painting,  Inside.  . 
Shingles 

20 
5 
7 
16 
40 
30 
50 
20 
30 
30 
30 
40 
30 
20 
20 
16 

25 

50 

5 
20 
14 
6 

P 

5 
3* 
2£ 

I1 

5 

6 

4 
2 

Cornice 

Weather-board'g  . 
Sheathing  .  . 

Flooring  
Doors,  Complete. 
Windows,  Com'e 
Stairs  and  Newel. 
Base  

Inside  Blinds  
Building  Hard'e. 
Piazzas  &  Porches 
Outside  Blinds.  .  . 
Sills  and  first-floor 
Joists  

Dimension  Lum'r 

These  figures  represent  the  averages  deduced  from  the  re- 
plies made  by  eighty-three  competent  builders  unconnected 
with  fire  insurance  companies,  in  twenty-seven  cities  and 
towns  of  11  Western  states. 


UNITED  STATES  GOVERNMENT  ALLOWANCE 

The  estimate  used  by  the  United  States  Government  is  as 
follows  : 

Per  Ct  Per  Year 

Brick,  Occupied  by  Owner  .................  1    to  1 


Brick,  Occupied  by  Tenant  .................  U  to  1 

Frame,  Occupied  by  Owner  .................  2    to  2$ 

Frame,  Occupied  by  Tenant  ................  2$  to  3 


312  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

According  to  that  a  frame  house  occupied  by  a  tenant  will 
not  last  more  than  40  years,  so  that  the  rent  should  be  high 
•  enough,  not  only  to  pay  interest  on  the  investment,  but  to  es- 
tablish a  sort  of  a  sinking  fund  to  replace  the  building.  These 
figures  allow  for  ordinary  repairs.  With  care  half  of  that  de- 
preciation is  enough. 

GRAIN  ELEVATORS  are  allowed  at  about  3  per  cent,  per 
annum. 

RAILROAD: — A  Chicago  railroad  allows  the  following  figures 
for  taxation  returns — and  the  annual  depreciation  is  made 
large  enough  to  wipe  the  buildings  off  the  slate  in  a  few 
years — for  taxable  purposes — as  they  are  not  returned  when 
down  to  20%  of  their  value. 

PILE  AND  TIMBER  TRESTLES. 

Minimum   condition 20% 

Annual  depreciation 12% 

COALING  STATIONS. 

Minimum   condition 20% 

Annual  depreciation 5% 

STEEL  BRIDGES. 

Annual  depreciation 2% 

STEEL  TURNTABLES. 

Annual  depreciation ,....  5% 

BRIDGES. 

Howe  Trusses,  annual  depreciation 6% 

Howe  Trusses,  minimum  condition 20% 

BUILDINGS. 

Minimum   condition 20% 

Frame,  annual  depreciation 7% 

Brick,   annual    depreciation 5% 

Stone,   annual    depreciation 2% 

In  "  Work  and  Wages  "  the  late  Prof.  Rogers,  of  Oxford, 
says:  "  Now  the  quality  of  the  work  in  the  old  times  of  which 
I  have  written  is  unquestionable.  It  stands  to  this  day  a  proof 


COST  OF  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  313 

of  how  excellent  ancient  masonry  was  .  The  building is 

still  standing  as  it  was  left  4  centuries  ago.  I  am  per- 
suaded that  such  perfect  masonry  would  have  been  incom- 
patible with  a  long  hours'  day.  You  may  still  see  brickwork 
of  the  next  century,  which  I  venture  on  asserting  no  modern 
work  would  parallel;  and  within  5  minutes'  wralk  of  it 
Roman  brickwork,  probably  16  centuries  old,  which  is  as 
solid  and  substantial  as  when  it  was  first  erected.  The  arti- 
zan  who  is  demanding  at  this  time  an  8-hour  day  in  the 
building  trades  is  simply  striving  to  recover  what  his  ances- 
tor worked  by  4  or  5  centuries  ago.  It  is  only  to  be  hoped 
that  he  will  emulate  the  integrity  and  thoroughness  of  the 
work  which  his  ancestor  performed." 

By  this  it  may  be  inferred  that  there  is  something  seriously 
wrong  when  the  life  of  aver  brickwork  is  limited  to  75  years. 

BARN: — On  page  158  reference  is  made  to  a  large  barn  in  Vt. 
Another  of  a  similar  nature  and  size  is  described  in  "Car- 
pentry and  Building,"  July,  '09,  for  Maine. 

This  one  is  40'  x  104'  with  18-ft  posts  above  a  10-ft  base- 
ment. The  cost  was  less  than  $2  per  sq  ft  of  ground  area; 
and  5c  per  cu  ft  of  total  capacity.  (See  cut  at  end.) 

The  following  tables  of  cost  were  made  by  the  builder,  A.  W.  Jos- 
lin  of  Boston.     Carpenters'  wages  were  from  31  to  44c  per  hour : 
Excavation,   cost  $0.2918   per  cu-       Nails,    delivered    1.13 

bic   yard.  Labor      7.41 

Foundations,       concrete,       $7.202  • 

per  cubic  yard.  Per  M  in  place  in  building      $30.54 

Spruce  frame,    per   M   feet:  Cost   per   square,    $3.279. 

Lumber,   delivered  at   site  $22.91  Above    walls    were    boarded    ver- 

Nails,   delivered   at   site    . .      1.00  tically. 

Labor     11.56  Windows,  average   total   cost : 

.  Sash,      frame     and     hard- 

Per    M    feet    in    place    in  ware,    etc $4.36 

building      $35.47        Labor     1.32 

Spruce  and  hemlock  plank  under       Cost    of    one    window    in- 

floor,    planed    one    side,    per    M  stalled      $5.68 

T  feeu'  B>JVI,'-:  *oo™       Sliding    doors;    2    3-4    in.     thick 

Lumber     delivered     $2?-°0  pine,   hung  on  Coburn  hangers. 

Nails,    delivered    1.35       Total    square    feet   of    surface    of 


Labor     2.05 


doors,    565. 
Lumber   milled   and   deliv- 


Per  M  in  place  in  building  $25.40  ered     .T....  ..... .....  $0.3326 

Cost    per   square    (100    sq.  Hangers    and    other    hard- 

ft.    surface) ,    $6.06.  ware      097 

Matched   spruce  upper  floor,   laid  Labor      0884 

diagonally :  

Lumber,     delivered     $22.00  Total  cost  per  square  foot 

Nails,    delivered    1.10  of    door    $0.488 

Labor     •     8-30  Clapboards ;  No.  2  pine,  4  in.   to 

Per  M  in  place  in  building     $31.40  ClapbSuflV  and  nails  deliv- 

Cost    per   square,    $3.63.  e*ed     $47.00 

Matched    Norway    pine    wall    and  Labor      12.60 

roof   covering : 

Lumber,    delivered      $22.00  Per  M  in  place  on  building      $59.60 


CHAPTER  XXII 

RAILROAD   BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF 
(SEE  CHAP  XXIII  FOR  ENGINE  HOUSES.) 

STATIONS  AND  DEPOTS 

SqFt 

FRAME  STATIONS  with  living  rooms,  pile  foundations  1.70 
FRAME  STATIONS  with  brick  or  stone  foundations...  1.70 
PASSENGER  AND  FREIGHT  DEPOTS,  frame,  pile 

foundations ;..... 1.50 

PASSENGER  AND  FREIGHT  DEPOTS,  frame,  brick 

or  stone  foundations $1.80  to  2.60 

If  not  a  standard  the  cost  might  be  increased  from  10  to  50 
per  cent. 

PASSENGER  STATIONS,  MODERN:— Brick,  stone,  slate 
roof,  hardwood  finish,  aver  of  6  designs  built,  $3.60;  running 
from  $3.41  to  $3.77.  One  of  larger  and  better  design  cost 
$4.20. 

A  western  station,  built  about  20  yrs  ago,  with  offices 
on  2d  floor,  cost  $7.17  per  sq  ft  of  ground  area.  It  is  of 
stone  with  a  slate  roof.  This  includes  area  of  baggage  room, 
etc. 

BAGGAGE  ROOMS,  EXPRESS  ROOMS,  and  such  minor  parts 
of  the  main  structure  run  from  $2  to  $3  per  sq  ft  if  taken 
alone. 

FRAME  STATION:— A  small  frame  station  built  in  1903  cost 
$2.50  per  sq  ft.    The  details  of  special  work  raised  the  cost. 
FREIGHT   DEPOTS:— Brick,   $2.25   to  $2.75   per  sq  ft  with 
boiler  room  below.    About  35c  less  without  boiler  room. 
SIGNAL   TOWERS:— These   buildings    are    expensive   when 
their  small  ground  area  is  considered.    For  one  15'x25',  con- 
crete basement,  and  2  stories  above,  plate  glass  on  2d  story, 
and  furnace,  but  no  equipment,  $5.65  per  sq  ft,  or  18c  per  cf. 

314 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  315 

Another  of  the  same  style  ran  to  $7  and  23c. 

But  these  prices  might  be  cut  in  2  for  some  kinds  of  towers. 


SHOP  PLANTS 

POWER  HOUSES:— From  $4  to  $5  per  sq  ft  for  shell  of  build- 
ing only,  without  any  equipment.  See  "  Power  Plants." 
BRICK  CHIMNEY  STACKS:— The  cheapest  one  I  know  of  is 
sq,  150'  high,  and  cost  without  profit,  $35  per  ft,  foundation  in- 
cluded. One  of  large  radial  brick,  175',  10'  to  T  core,  $45;  an- 
other 200,  11  to  9  core,  $55;  both  circular,  but  foundations  are 
not  included.  A  stack  of  radial  brick  100'xS',  $2,200;  125x6, 
$3,200,  without  foundations — but  distance  from  yard,  etc, 
affects  price. 

FOUNDATIONS:— On  the  200'  stack  the  foundation  would 
run  about  as  follows: 

Excavation $210 

Piling  (if  required) 600 

Concrete    1,900 

$2,710 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  STACKS:— For  the  following  ap- 
prox  figures  I  am  indebted  to  the  Weber  Co.,  of  Chicago, 
This  company  has  built  about  500  stacks.  Under  this  system 
the  foundation  necessarily  goes  with  the  stack  so  that  the  re- 
inforcement can  be  anchored. 

Height  Diam.  Foundation  Total  Cost 

200  10  $400  $6,000 

175  8  300                       5,000 

150  6  200                       3,300 

125  5  200                       2,500 

The  foundations,  on  fair  soil,  go  about  8'  deep  on  a  200* 
stack  on  6'  on  one  of  175'  high. 

One  Reinforced  Stack  in  Butte,  is 350'xl8* 

One  Reinforced  Stack  in  Tacoma,  is 300'xl8' 

One  Reinforced  Stack  in  Georgetown,  is 275'xl7' 

One  Reinforced  Stack  in  New  Orleans,  is 250'xl5' 

One  Reinforced  Stack  in  London,  Eng.,  is 250'x2(/ 


316  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

STEEL  STACKS:— Self-sustaining  steel  stacks  7'  diam,  150 
ft  high,  without  foundation,  $29;  9'  and  200',  $33  set.  For 
small  guyed  stacks  allow  per  ft  at  factory  as  follows: 

24"  30"  36"                42"  48" 

No.  14iron $1.35  $1.71  $2.07  $2.43  $2.79 

No.l2iron 1.84  2.32  2.80           3.28  3.76 

No.  10  iron 2.38  2.92  3.46          4.00  4.54 

Allow  setting  extra  at  $15  to  $40.    Wire  rope,  f",  3c  per  ft; 
i",  l£c.     For  sizes  not  given  allow  4  to  4£c  per  Ib  at  factory. 
In  1904  a  short  10''  stack  cost  80c;  14",  $1;  24",  $1.15. 
See  also  Chap  XIII,  page  222. 

MACHINE  AND  ERECTING  SHOPS:— With  areas  of  50,000 
to  100,000  sq  ft  the  aver  of  5  built  when  prices  were  low,  was 
$1.80.  The  figures  ran  from  $1.27  to  $2.40.  The  Rock  Island 
shop  860  ft  long,  is  given  in  "  The  Railway  Age  "  of  Feb.  26, 
at  $1.50.  But  cost  of  shops  is  heavily  affected  by  foundations, 
and  by  style  of  construction.  Foundations  to  grade  may 
easily  cost  25%  of  the  total;  and  the  lean-to  style  of  the  R.  I. 
shop  is  far  cheaper  than  if  the  outside  walls  were  carried  to 
level  of  main  roof..  Everything  is  ready  for  cranes  but  none 
included.  Piling  if  required,  14c  per  sq  ft  of  total  area.  The 
highest  price  per  cf,  heated,  should  not  exceed  8c. 

A  M.  &  E.  shop  erected  in  1902  with  piling  and  extra  heavy 
concrete  foundations  cost  $2.97  per  sq  ft  and  5.7lc  per  cf. 
Area  60,000  sq  ft. 

BOILER  SHOPS:— From  $1.30  to  $1.85  with  aver  of  $1.56  on 
4  large  ones  built  when  prices  were  low.  Piling  about  9c  if 
required  per  sq  ft  of  total  area. 

On  one  built  in  1903  the  sq  ft  cost  was  $2.67,  and  cf,  5.8c. 
Area  46,000  sq  ft. 

BLACKSMITH  SHOPS:— The  aver  of  4  of  large  area  in 
widely  separately  part  of  the  country  was  $1.32  per  sq  ft 
when  prices  were  low.  The  figures  ran  from  $1.15  to  $1.70. 
Piling  if  required,  6  to  7c. 

A  shop  built  in  1906  cost  $2.20  per  sq  ft.     Area  34,000  sq  ft. 
IRON  HOUSE:— Per  sq  ft,  $2.00. 
COAL  SHED:— From  $1.00  to  $1.50. 

The  following  are  the  detailed  percentages  of  a  modern 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  317 

BLACKSMITH   SHOP  AND  A   FOUNDRY 

B 'smith  Foundry 

Excavation 46  1.11 

Piling ....     1.98  2.55 

Concrete  Foundations  and  Small  Floors . .     5 . 70  8 . 09 

Concrete  Water  Table 60  .52 

Cut  Stone  Window  Sills 60  .51 

Brickwork 13.70  14.81 

Lumber 3.25  2.94 

Millwork  and  Glass 3.62  3.29 

Carpenter  Labor 2.31  2. 19 

Gravel  Roof 1 .39  1 .43 

Skylights 7.20  3. 11 

Steel  Lintels 2.58  3.58 

Floor  Track 1 .40  .22 

Hardware,  Ladders,  Lantern  Gearing 1 . 31  1 . 47 

Painting , .     2.67  1.40 

Galv  Iron  and  Copper 1 .79  .80 

Lockers 1.15  .84 

Plumbing 4.10  2.66 

Plaster 24  .07 

Heating,  Blast,  Exhaust,  Sump 3.34  7.73 

Structural  Steel 12.55  28.28 

Structural  Steel,  Erecting 1 .54  3.41 

Piping  for  Air,  Steam ,  Water,  Oil 5 . 27  4 . 20 

Bins ,  Outside  and  Motor  Platforms 3 . 70  4 . 79 

Machine  Foundations 7.01 

Wiring,  Lighting,  Power 6.00 

Furnaces  and  Foundations 4 . 24 

Water  Filter..,  .40 


100.00       100.00 

SQ   FT:— Blacksmith  shop,   $2.20   per  sq  ft;    foundry,   $3.25. 
Add  from  50  to  100%  to  cost  of  buildings  proper  for  tools  and 
equipment.     No  grading  or  filing.     No  fee  or  percentage. 
BINS: — Outside  foundry  bins  for  coal,  etc.,  23c  per  sq  ft  on 
ground. 

LABOR: — Carpenter  labor  on  blacksmith  shop,  5c  per  sq  ft 
of  area  over  building;  car  shop,  4$c;  paint  and  wheel  shop, 
5.4c;  foundry,  5.6;  mill,  6.6c;  all  at  40c  per  hour. 

SQ  AND  CF  COST: — A  comparison  of  sq  and  cf  prices  on 
actual  cost  of  buildings  proper  runs  as  follows:  Machine 
and  erecting  shop,  $2.964  sq,  5.71c,  cu;  Boiler  Shop,  $2.665, 


318  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

5.78c;  Storehouse,  $3.99,  12.2c;  Pattern  Shop,  $2.863,  7.54c; 
Oil  House,  $2.03,  10.7c. 

STOREHOUSES: — Of  the  heaviest  construction,  2  stories,  no 
basement,  concrete,  brick,  steel,  $3.80  sq  ft.  Without  electric 
elevators,  fireproof  shutters,  etc,  $3.50.  Deduct  25c  if  plat- 
forms are  not  required.  A  large  storehouse,  2  stories  and 
basement,  was  built  for  $3.05.  But  I  know  of  another  build- 
ing of  the  same  nature  and  height  with  more  and  better  out- 
side and  inside  finish,  plumbing,  elevators,  electric  wiring, 
etc,  which  ran  to  $5.25,  or  13c  per  cf.  For  shelving  and 
uprights  allow  about  2|  ft  for  each  sq  ft  of  total  net  floor 
space.  Piling,  if  required,  13c  sq  ft  of  ground  floor. 

But  the  Rock  Island  storehouse  at  Moline,  111.,  is  given  in 
the  "  Railway  Age  "  of  Feb.  26,  '04,  at  $1.50  per  sq  ft.  It  is 
a  3  story  brick,  wood  construction  inside,  and  the  price  is 
based  on  the  ground  area  only.  The  total  area  is  5  times 
as  large  as  that  of  the  new  Union  Pacific  storehouse,  Omaha. 
The  size  is  500'xlOO';  and  and  3.6  per  cf  matches  the  price 
given  on  the  sq  ft  basis.  It  seems  too  low  a  figure;  but  the 
cost  is  not  official. 

The  storehouse  for  the  Seaboard  Air  line  at  Portsmouth, 
Va.,  cost  $1.17  per  sq  ft  on  ground  floor;  but  it  is  brick  only 
to  the  window  sill,  and  unsheeted  frame  above  covered  with 
galv  iron.  It  is  2  stories  and  a  basement. 

The  frame  building  described  on  page  35  is  a  kind  of  a 
storehouse.  It  is  sheeted  inside  on  first  story,  and  has  shelv- 
ing, refrigerator,  and  office  in  1  end.  Without  any  founda- 
tion, $1.16  per  sq  ft. 

OIL  HOUSES  AND  PLATFORMS:— From  $2.50  to  $3.50  per 
sq  ft  of  building,  but  this  included  platforms.  Platforms  are 
about  50%  more  than  buildings  proper.  Concrete  and  brick. 

But  here  it  may  be  worth  while  to  say  that  to  get  good 
results  from  either  the  sq  or  cf  basis  it  is  necessary  to  have 
a  building  of  reasonable  size.  An  oil  house  might  be  150' 
long,  or  it  might  be  20,  but  in  both  cases  2  gables  are  required. 
The  cost  is  distributed  over  a  large  area  in  the  one  case,  and 
a  small  in  the  other. 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  319 

CAR  SHOPS 

The  detailed  percentages  of  two  large  buildings  will  serve 
as  a  guide  for  an  approx  estimate. 

No.  i  No.  2 

Excavation 66  .23 

Concrete  Foundations 7.40  5.38 

Concrete  Coach  Pits 3.73  1 

Concrete  Floor  in  Coach  Repair  Shop 1 . 38  (•  7. 22 

Concrete  Floors  in  Two  Lavatories 23  J 

Concrete  Water  Table  and  Door  Sills 38 

Stone  Window  Sills 28 

Brickwork 12.47  11.22 

Lumber 5.56  3.68 

Millwork  and  Glass 2.68  2.84 

Carpenter  Labor 2.67  2.73 

Steel  Lintels 2.05  1.84 

Structural  Steel  (450  tons) 20 . 08  23 . 02 

Unloading  and  Setting  S.  Steel 2 . 47  2 . 55 

Galv  Iron  and  Copper 1.58  1.73 

Skylights 9.39  9.21 

Gravel  Roof 1.58  1.93 

Floor  Track 1.58  1.61 

Hardware,  Ladders,  Lantern  Sash  Device     1.41  1.68 

Lockers 74  1.10 

Painting 1.51  1.58 

Plumbing 3.51  2.10 

Heating 8.24  8.48 

Air,  Steam  and  Water  Pipe 8. 24  8. 52 

Plaster  in  Lavatories 18  .06 

100.00       100.00 

REMARKS: — In  No.  1  the  total  area  over  the  walls  was 
85,980  sq  ft.  The  cost  as  above,  without  architect's  fee  or 
contractor's  percentage,  6c  per  cf;  $1.70  per  sq  ft.  The 
height  to  eaves  25;  4".  No  grading  or  filling  is  allowed. 
Owing  to  nature  of  ground  the  foundations  had  to  run  deep 
—one-half  the  amount  might  be  sufficient  for  foundations  and 
pits.  If  piling  is  required  allow  7c  per  sq  ft  of  total  area.  In 
some  shops  pits  are  not  used. 

The  total  area  of  No.  2  was  84,113  sq  ft.  The  cost  as  on 
No.  1,  $1.68.  The  height  to  eaves  25'  4".  No  grading  or  fill- 
ing. Foundations  were  as  deep  as  on  No.  1,  but  did  not  have 
to  be  so  far  spread  as  there  was  no  piling. 


320  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

In  both  the  figures  for  heating  and  piping  are  approximate 
and  safe. 

WOODWORKING:— On  3  built,  $1  to  $1.40. 
CAR  AND  COACH  SHOPS: — From  $1.25  to  $2  on  several. 
PAINT  AND  FREIGHT:— From  $1.25  to  $2  on  several. 
DRY  KILN:— From  $1.60  to  $3. 

LAVATORIES: — Separate  1-story  brick  buildings,  with  the 
finest  plumbing,  ex  metal  lockers,  etc,  $3.70  to  $4.25  per  sq 
ft.  The  aver  of  3  is  $3.75.  Inside  of  main  building,  $3. 
Approx,  12c  per  sq  ft  of  complete  ground  floor  area  of  main 
buildings.  Ex  metal  lockers,  $5  each. 

All  figures  given  are  for  best  construction  of  concrete, 
brick  and  steel. 

SAND  HOUSES: — On  2  the  estimates  were  78c  and  80c  per 
sq  ft  without  crane.  Size  14'x20'  and  16'x20'.  Crane  com- 
plete with  base  and  labor,  $156.00.  On  house  proper  labor  is 
50%  of  material. 

LUMBER  SHEDS:— Allow  48c  per  sq  ft  of  actual  ground 
surf,  with  deep  concrete  piers  set  16'  centers.  With  piers 
about  4'  deep  instead  of  9',  40c.  About  16'  high,  with  second 
story  floor  over  £  of  area. 

BUNK  HOUSES:— From  $1.05  on  pile  foundations  to  $1.25 
for  stone  or  brick. 

ICE  HOUSES: — On  8  houses  with  floor  space  from  5,000  to 
11,000  sq  ft  the  estimated  cost  was  from  80  to  96c  per  sq 
ft,  with  an  aver  of  89c.  Machinery,  $600  to  $900  each  house 
extra.  For  dbl  platforms  $5.00  per  If. 

On  a  house  of  later  design,  $1.30  per  sq  ft;  57c  per  sq  ft 
of  outside  walls  to  level  of  wall  plates,  not  including  gables; 
5.4c  per  cf  to  level  of  wall  plates.  Material  63%;  labor  37% 
of  total.  Size  24'xl60'x24'  high  to  plates.  No  machinery  or 
percentage. 

For  houses  32'  high  $1.50  to  $2. 

But  sometimes  the  sq  ft  cost  is  doubled,  and  the  labor 
instead  of  being  reasonable  is  several  times  higher  than  it 
should  be. 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  321 

AN    ARTIFICIAL    ICE    plant    costs    about    $1,000    per    ton 

capacity. 

YIELD  OF  ICE:— An  acre  of  ice,  12"  thick,  yields  about  1,000 

tons.     It  costs  from  80c  to  $1    to    put    ice    in    house.     The 

shrinkage  from  time  of  packing  to  August  is  about  12%  in 

an  unopened  house. 

ICE  HOUSES  for  private  families,  8'x8'x8',  are  described  in 

"  Carpentry  and  Building,"  Aug.,   '07.     They  cost  from  $100 

to  $200. 

STAND  PIPE:— Mansfield,  12",  $320;  10,  $220.     Pit,  $125. 

One  of    reinforced    concrete,    40'xlOO',    $34,000;     in    steel, 
$37,500  bid;   Attleboro,  Mass. 

SHELTER  SHEDS: — Wood  posts,  flooring  and  gravel  roof, 
no  floor,  2  coats  mineral  paint,  33  to  45c  per  sq  ft  of  roof 
surf — depending  upon  length,  etc. 

COACH  SHOP: — The  Seaboard  Line  Coach  shop,  brick  to 
window  sills,  studs  unsheeted,  covered  with  galv  iron,  68c; 
planing  mill  of  same  style,  $1.29. 

The  published  figures  of  cost  of  the  WABASH  PLANT  AT 
DECATUR: 

cf 

Power  House  3.4c 

Blacksmith  and  Machine  Shop 3.0c 

Car    Shop    2.7c 

Store   and    Office 5.5c 

Wood    Mill    2.9c 

Tin,   Cabinet  and  Upholstery    4.5c 

Dry  Kiln    ll.lc 

Lavatory    5.4c 

Dry  Lumber  Sheds    2.3c 

Iron,   Coal   and   Coke    .  3.5c 


The  buildings  are  of  timber  frames  with  No.  24  ex  metal 
and  plaster  1£"  thick  outside,  1"  inside,  and  an  8"  air  space. 

The  following  useful  figures  are  taken  from  the  Railroad 
Gazette  of  July  1,  1904.  They  are  compiled  by  Master 
Mechanics: 


322  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

COST   OF   LOCOMOTIVE    REPAIR   SHOPS 

"  In  selecting  units  on  which  to  base  cost  figures  the  sq  ft 
and  the  cf  have  generally  been  used  for  buildings;  in . power 
plants  the  engine  h  p,  boiler  h  p  and  generator  kilowatts 
have  also  been  used;-  in  roundhouses  the  stall  has  been  taken 
as  the  proper  unit.  In  computing  the  sq  ft  of  buildings,  the 
outside  dimensions  have  been  used  (giving  the  ground  area 
covered) ;  in  computing  the  cf  of  buildings,  the  aver  external 
height  has  been  taken  (  giving  the  total  volume  occupied). 

In  the  figures  which  follow,  the  different  items  are  identi- 
fied by  reference  numbers  only,  with  such  explanatory  notes 
added  as  will  aid  in  interpreting  the  unit  prices;  shops  built 
prior  to  1895  are  designated  as  "  old,"  those  built  since  1895, 
as  "modern;"  in  a  few  cases  the  notes  are  based  on  uncer- 
tain information  and  are  followed  by  an  interrogation 
mark  (?). 

It  is  believed  that  in  most  cases  the  cost  of  a  proposed 
shop  will  be  asked  for  as  soon  as  the  layout  plan  has  been 
completed,  and  that  the  following  is  the  best  basis  for  mak- 
ing an  estimate:  List  up  all  the  buildings,  with  their  ground 
area  in  sq  ft,  all  the  miscellaneous  structures,  either  on  the 
sq  ft,  the  If,  or  the  unit  basis  (as  may  appear  best),  all  the 
track  on  the  If  basis,  the  turnouts  on  the  unit  basis,  etc; 
assign  a  unit  price  to  each  item,  as  determined  by  the  special 
local  conditions,  carry  out  the  cost  extensions  and  totalize; 
to  the  total  thus  obtained  add  a  percentage  to  cover  inci- 
dentals and  items  not  shown  by  the  layout  plan;  this  per- 
centage may  vary  from  a  minimum  of  10%  to  a  maximum  of 
25%,  according  to  the  completeness  of  the  layout  plan  and 
the  degree  of  confidence  which  may  be  felt  in  the  unit  prices 
assumed;  the  grand  total  should  represent  the  approx 
cost  of  the  plant,  exclusive  of  the  cost  of  land  and  grading, 
which  should  be  estimated  separately,  these  two  items  not 
being  susceptible  of  reduction  in  a  unit  basis.  If  the  build- 
ings have  been  designed  in  detail  their  cost  may  be  checked 
upon  the  cf  basis. 

The  report  is  signed  by  R.  H.  Soule,  Chairman;  L.  R. 
Pomeroy,  T.  H.  Curtis,  S.  F.  Prince,  Jr.,  A.  E.  Manchester. 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  323 

POWER  PLANTS— TOTAL  COST 

Cost  per      Cost  per 
Engine      Generator  Cost  per  Cost  per 
Item         HP  K  W  Sq  Ft        CF  Notes 

131  131.33      219.00      11.40     .40     Far  West,  modern;  a  sub- 

stantial effective  plant 
devoid  of  ornamentation 
refinement;  coal  dumped 
from  trestle  and  shoveled  t 
ashes  shoveled. 

132  140 . 27      210 .00        7 . 00     .18     Middle  West  modern;  build- 

ing has  considerable  orna- 
mentation inside  and  out, 
but  the  equipment  auxili- 
aries are  simple;  overhead 
crane  in  engine  room. 

133  115.00      167.00      12.20     .28    East,  modern;  building  has 

considerable  ornamenta- 
tion alternating  current 
apparatus  inside  and  out; 
principally  with  auxiliary 
direct  current  equipment. 

134  185.06      278.00      11.50     .36     Middle  West,  modern;    in- 

cludes (besides  boilers,  en- 
gine generators,  and  air 
compressors,  induced 
draft  apparatus,  coal  and 
ash  handling  apparatus, 
hydraulic  plant,  etc. 

135  129.28      210.60      14.62     .33     Middle    West,    modern;    a 

very  complete  plant  both 
mechanically  and  architec- 
turally. 

136  123.00      191.00      14.30     .36     Middle  West, modern;  large 

enough  to  allow  for  a  one- 
third  increase  in  capacity 
of  plant. 

137  129.00      225.00      10.40     .58     East,  modern;  fireproof  con- 

struction throughout. 

138  90.90      151.50      10.40     .24     West,    modern;     a    simple 

but  "effective  plant  limited 
to  direct  current,  no  coal 
or  ash  handling  apparatus. 

139  128.60      211.00      10.55     .31     Middle  West,  modern;  con- 

densing equipment. 


324  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

ERECTING  AND    MACHINE   SHOPS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.  Total  Building  only     Total 

140  3.50           1.08             .71  5.34  .076           .115 

141  1.03          2.49             .187  3.70  .034           .123 

142  .706         1.78  ....  029 

143  1.67  2.05  .086  3.79           .051           .118 

144  2.43  .81  ....  051 

145  1.65  2.69  ....  041 

146  1.80  1.65  ....  046 

147  1.82  .050  

148  3.08  1.65  .073           

140.  East,  modern;  brick  and  steel  transverse  shop,  erect- 
ing shop  has  both  heavy  and  light  cranes;    machine   shop 
has  crane  service  throughout,  saw  tooth  roof. 

141.  Middle  West,  old;    brick  and  wood,  transverse  shop 
in  2  parts,   1  part  1  story  with  slate  roof,  the  other  part 
2  stores  with  gravel  roof. 

142.  Middle  West,  old;   stone  and  wood,  transverse  shop, 
gravel  roof  supported  by  posts. 

143.  Middle   West,   old;    brick  with   wood   and   iron   roof 
trussing  and  shingle  roof,  longitudinal  shop,  machine  shop  on 
one  side,  traveling  cranes  in  erecting  shop. 

144.  Middle   West,   modern;    brick   and    steel,    transverse 
shop,  high  for  f  of  width  with  heavy  crane,  the  remaining 
£  being  low,  with  saw  tooth  roof. 

145.  Middle  West,  3  old,  £  new,  brick  and  steel,  transverse 
shop,  new  part  2  stories;  no  traveling  cranes. 

146.  Pacific    Northwest,    modern;    brick    and    steel,    over- 
head crane. 

147.  Pacific  Southwest,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  overhead 
crane.  \ 

148.  Far  West,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  overhead  crane. 

MACHINE  SHOP 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item  Building  only   Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only    Total 
157  .952  .038 

157.    Middle  West,  old;   brick  and  wood,  gravel  roof  sup« 
ported  by  posts. 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF 
BOILER  AND  TANK  SHOPS 


325 


Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area 


Cost  per  CF 


Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 


158 
159 
160 
161 
162 
163 


2.98 
1.58 

.84 
1.66 

.99 
1.53 


.72 
.40 
.94 
.48 

'.96 


,84 

!676 
,083 


4.54 

i!87 
2.24 


.083 
.049 
.033 
.059 
.025 
.095 


.127 

'.075 
.080 


158.  East,  modern;    brick  and  steel,  cranes  cover  entire 
floor,  saw  tooth  roof. 

159.  Middle  West,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  one-half  width 
high  for  crane  service,  the  other  half  lower  and  without  crane. 

160.  Middle  West,  old;   brick  and  wood  with  slate  roof. 

161.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood,  shingle  roof,  gal- 
lery along  one  side,  cranes  over  part  of  floor  space. 

162.  Pacific  Southwest,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  overhead 
crane,  smith  shop  in  one  end. 

163.  Middle  West,  f  old,  £  new;  brick  and  wood,  new  part 
2  stories,  no  overhead  cranes.     (?) 


SMITH   SHOPS 


Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area 
Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt. 

.110 

.171 


.050 


.348 


164 

.... 

.734 

165 

2.'63 

.982 

166 

1.79 

.144 

167 

.432 

2.26 

168 

1.06 

1.09 

169 

2.25 

t 

170 

1.43 

'.'665 

171 

1.50 

.... 

172 

2.37 

i.'96 

173 

1.21 

.... 

174 

1.38 

175 

.91 

.60 

3.78 

2.77 
2.22 


4.68 


Cost  per  CF 


Total      Building  only     Total 


.080 
.049 
.019 
.035 

;642 

.'052 
.041 


.115 


.074 


.104 
.055 


164.  Middle  West,  old. 

165.  East,    modern;     brick    and    steel,    high    and    light, 
thoroughly  equipped. 

166.  Middle    West,    modern;    brick    and    steel,    100'    wide, 
hip  roof  without  posts. 


326  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

167.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood  with  slate  roof. 

168.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood,  shingle  roof. 

169.  Southeast,   modern;    brick  and   steel,   unusually   high 
(33'  from  floor  to  lower  chord  of  roof  truss.)      (These  figures 
should  be  used  with  caution,   as  they  are  not  official,   but 
were  taken  from   a  published  statement.) 

170.  Middle  West,  modern;  brick  and  steel. 

171.  Middle  West,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  tile  and  gravel 
roof. 

172.  Middle  West,  modern;   brick  and  steel,  brass  foundry 
and    car   machine    shop    under    same    roof,    equipment    very 
complete. 

173.  East,  modern;  concrete  and  steel,  80'  span,  no  posts. 

174.  Northeast,    modern;    brick    and   wood,    60'    span,    no 
posts,  simple  construction. 

175.  Middle  West,  §  old,  J  new;  brick  and  wood  (?). 

IRON  FOUNDRY 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

176          3.18  ....  

176.  Brick  and  steel,  modern;   U.  S.  Navy  Yard,  Bremer- 
ton, Wash. 

PATTERN  AND  UPHOLSTERY  SHOP 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 
178  .857  ....  .131  .988  .043  .050 

178.     Middle  West,  old;  modern  building,  2  stories. 


PASSENGER    CAR    REPAIR    SHOPS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.  Total      Building  only     Total 

179  1.24           .016  1.25           .042           .043 

180  1.20  ....  ....  

181  2.64           .044             .096  2.78            .099           .105 

182  1.34           ....              .015  1.35           .056           .057 

183  .68           .003             .057  .74            .026           .028 

184  .83  .029 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  327 

179.  Middle  West,   modern;    longitudinal  shop,  brick  and 
wood. 

180.  Southeast,  modern;  transverse  shop,  brick  and  wood, 
has  upholstery  and  cabinet  shops  under  same  roof.     (These 
figures  should  be  used  with  caution,  as  they  are  not  official, 
but  were  taken  from  a  published  statement.) 

181.  Middle    West,    modern;    transverse    shop,    brick   and 
steel,   includes  upholstery   and   trimming   shop   and   hot  air 
heating. 

182.  East,  modern;   transverse  shop,  brick  and  steel,  with 
cement  foundation,  saw  tooth,  wooden  roof. 

183.  Southeast,    modern;    transverse    shop,    brick    up    to 
window    sills,    corrugated    galv    iron    sheathing    on    wooden 
frame  above,  gravel   roof,   granolithic    floor,    used    also    for 
painting    and    varnishing.     (Identical    with    Passenger    Car 
Paint  Shop  No.  193.) 

184.  Middle  West,  old;   brick  and  wood  (?). 

PASSENGER  CAR  PAINT  SHOPS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost'per  CF 

Item    Building  only  Tools  Misc.  Eqpt.  Total  Building  only     Total 

185  1.24           .044  1.24  .04             .04 

186  1.94  .055  .092  2.09  .072           .178 

187  1.02  ....  ....  033 

188  1 . 20           

189  1.01  ....  .039  1.05  .035           .036 

190  .35  

191  2.36  .009  .056  2.43  .081  .084 

192  1.13  ....  .009  1.14  .051  .052 

193  .68  .003  .057  .74  .026  .028 

194  .89  ....  ....  032 

185.  Middle  West,   modern;    longitudinal    shop,   brick   and 
wood. 

186.  East,    modern,    longitudinal    shop,    brick    and    steel, 
saw  tooth  roof,  hot  air  heating. 

187.  Pacific    Southwest,    modern;    transverse    shop,    brick 
and  steel. 

188.  Southeast,  modern;  transverse  shop,  brick  and  wood, 
has  varnish  room  and  pipe  shop  under  same  roof.     (These 
figures  should  be  used  with  caution,  as  they  are  not  official, 
but  were  taken  from  a  published  statement.) 


328  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

189.  Northeast,    modern;     longitudinal    shop,    brick    and 
steel,  includes  small  paint,  varnish  and  boiler  rooms  at  one  end. 

190.  South,  old;  wooden  structure. 

191.  Middle   West,    modern;    transverse    shop,    brick   and 
steel,   includes  cleaning  room ,  varnish    room    and    hot    air 
heating. 

192.  East,  modern;   transverse  shop,  brick  and  steel  with 
cement  foundations,  saw  tooth,  wooden  roof. 

193.  Southeast,  modern;  transverse  shop,  brick  up  to  win- 
dow sills,  corrugated  galv  iron  sheathing  on  wooden  frame 
above;   gravel  roof,  granolithic  floor,  used  also  for  coach  re- 
pairs.    (Identical  with  Passenger  Car  Repair  Shop  No.  183.) 

194.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood  (?). 

FREIGHT  CAR    REPAIR   SHOPS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item    Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

195  .40  ....  .016  .415          .022  .023 

196  2.12  .123  .047  2.29  .075  .080 

197  .29  ....  ....  .29  .015  .015 

195.  Middle    West,    old;     wooden    building,    longitudinal, 
entirely  enclosed. 

196.  Middle  West,  modern;   brick  and  steel,  longitudinal, 
includes  cabinet  shop  and  hot  air  heating. 

197.  Middle  West,  old;   large  shop,  longitudinal,  construc- 
tion not  known,  but  probably  wood  with  partly  open  sides. 

CAR    SMITH    AND    CAR    MACHINE    SHOPS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

199  .77          1.06  ....  028 

199.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood  (?) 

WHEEL  AND  AXLE  SHOP 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item    Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

200  4.03          2.16  .72  6.91  .16  .276 

200.  West,  modern;   brick  and  steel,  for  car  work  only. 

CAR   REPAIR  SHOP  AND  PLANING   MILL 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

201  .975  ,.031 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  329 

201.  Pacific  Southwest,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  has  inter- 
mediate 2-story  section  for  sub  departments. 

PLANING   MILLS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item    Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

202  .487  .54  .010  1.04  .026  .056 

203  1.15  1.18  .25  2.58  .045  .102 

204  .76  1.21  .292  2.26  .033  .098 

205  1.85  ....  ....  

206  .37  ....  ....  

207  2.54  1.44  .082  4.06  .095  .153 

208  2.53  .558  ....  057 

209  .39  .50  ....  014 

210  .74  .485  .239  1.47  .037  .073 

202.  Middle  West,  old;   wooden  building,  tools  and  equip- 
ment very  light. 

203.  Southeast,  modern;   brick  up  to  floor  line,  then  cor- 
rugated galv  iron  on  insulated  wooden  frame,  basement  and 
1  story,  gravel  roof,  mechanical  power  in  annex,  cabinet  shop 
in  wing. 

204.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood,  slate  roof. 

205.  Southeast,  modern;    steel  and  brick.     (These  figures 
should  be  used  with  caution,  as  they  are  not  official,  but  were 
taken  from  a  published  statement.) 

206.  South,  old;   wooden  structure. 

207.  Middle  West,  modern;   brick  and  steel,  does  not  in- 
clude cabinet  shop,  which  is  separate. 

208.  Middle  West,  old;   brick  and  wood,  includes  pattern 
shop  (?). 

210.  West,  modern;   wooden   (?). 

STOREHOUSES. 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item    Building  only  Tools  Misc.  Eqpt.  Total  Building  only     Total 

211  1.142  .168  1.31  .044           .050 

212  3.60  

213  3.05  .67  3.72  .073           .089 

214  2.40  ....  2.72  .110  .124 

215  2.00  ....  ....  050 

211.  Southeast,  modern;    brick  up  to   window   sills,   then 
corrugated  galv  iron  on  unsheathed  wooden  frame,  2  stories, 
gravel  roof,  platform,  bins,  shelves,  etc.,  complete. 


330 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


212.  Southeast,   modern;    brick   and   steel,   2    stories   and 
basement,  extensive  offices  in  1  end  on  both  floors.     (These 
figures  should  be  used  with  caution,  as  they  are  not  official, 
but  were  taken  from  a  published  statement.) 

213.  Middle  West,  modern;   brick  and  wood,  3  stories. 

214.  East,  modern;  concrete  construction,  1  end  2  stories, 
upper  floor  used  for  offices. 

215.  Middle  West,  old;  brick  and  wood,  2  stories  (?). 


OIL   HOUSES 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area 
Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt. 


216 
217 
218 
219 
216. 


5.41 
3.52 
1.33 
2.15 


Cost  per  CF 

Total      Building  only     Total 
1.43  6.84  .208  .263 

1.55  5.07  .196  .302 

089 

1.34  3.49  .097  .159 


Middle  West,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  basement  and 


1  story,  full  equipment  of  tanks,  etc. 

217.     East,  modern;   concrete  walls  and  roof,  1  story  with 
deep  basement. 

219.    West,  modern;  brick  and  steel,  tile  roof,  2  stories. 


Item 

220 

221 

222 

223 

224 

225 

226 

227 

228 

229 

230 

231 

232 

233 

234 

235 

236 

237 

238 


ROUNDHOUSES 

Cost  per  Stall 
No.  of  Stalls  Building  only  Tools  Misc.  Eqpt. 


18 

46 

10 

10 

30 

13 

8 

7 

33 

44 
30 
25 
48 
25 
18 
23 
44 
40 


1,388.88 
1,155.00 
2,400.00 
1,757.70 

1,040 !  66 
2,750.00 
1,033.00 


1,998.00 
4,150.00 
1,950.00 
2,480.00 
1,719.00 
1,011.00 
1,065.00 
1,740.00 
1,875.00 


133.00 


328.00 


87.50 


787.50 


Total 


2,090.00 
1,500.00 


2,200.00 
1,845.00 
2,459.00 

2,455!  66 


2,750.00 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  331 

220.  Middle  West,  old;  63'  span,  brick  and  wood,  slate  roof, 
trussed   (no  posts). 

221.  Pacific  Southwest,  modern;  80'  span,  brick  and  wood, 
roof  supported  by  posts. 

222.  Far  West,  modern;  part  75'  span,  part  85'  span,  brick 
and  wood,  gravel  roof,  supported  by  posts. 

223.  Far  West,  modern;   85'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

224.  Middle  West,  old;    65'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

225.  Middle  West,  old;    78'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

226.  Middle  West,   modern;    89'    span,    brick    and    wood, 
gravel  roof,  supported  by  posts. 

227.  Middle  West,   old;    80'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

228.  East,  modern;   81'  span,  brick  and  steel,  gravel  roof, 
supported  by  flat  truss   (no  posts),  rolling  steel  doors,  cost 
does  not  include  heating  equipment. 

229.  Northwest,  modern;  84'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof  supported  by  posts,  cost  does  not  include  heating  equip- 
ment. 

230.  Northeast,  modern;   80'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts,  annex  with  boilers,  heating  appara- 
tus (hot  air),  and  air  compressor. 

231.  East,  modern;    90'   span,   brick  and   steel,   slag  roof, 
with   crane   runway   covering  outer   half  of   span,   has   very 
heavy  pile  and  stone  foundation. 

232.  East,  modern;    80'   span,   concrete   and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

233.  Northeast,  modern;   75'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

234.  Northeast,  modern;   75'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

235.  Northeast,  modern;   72'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel 
roof,  supported  by  posts. 

236.  West,  modern;  80'  span,  brick  and  wood,  gravel  roof, 
suppor.ted  by  posts. 


332  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

237.  Middle  West,  part  old,  part  modern;  70'  and  85'  spans, 
gravel  roof,  supported  by  posts  ( ?) . 

LAVATORY 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area                          Cost  per  CF 
Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 
239  ....  2.55  

239.  Middle  West,  modern;  aver  of  3  large  lavatories  (in- 
cluding water  closets,  urinals,  wash  room  and  locker  rooms) ; 
buildings  of  concrete  and  brick  with  tile  roofs  on  wooden 
trusses;  cement  floors,  complete  with  contents,  ready  to  use. 


OFFICE   BUILDINGS 

Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Ground  Area  Cost  per  CF 

Item   Building  only    Tools         Misc.  Eqpt.          Total      Building  only     Total 

240  .306         .030  

241  8.01  .557  .295  8.86  .167  .187 

242  1.04  ....  .034  

240.  Middle  West,  old;  frame  building  with  brick  founda- 
tion, includes  M.  M.  store  department,  steam  heat. 

241.  Middle  West,  modern;   brick  and  wood,  basement,  2 
stories  and  attic,  ornamental  architecture. 

242.  Middle   West,    old;     wooden,    2    stories    and    base- 
ment (?). 


TRACK 

Cost  Add  for 

Item       per  LF    each  Switch  NOTES 

243  0.70         170.00      Based  on  use  of  " fit "  (second  hand)  67  Ib 

rail. 

244  1.00         180.00      Based  on  use  of  "fit"  (second  hand)  85 

Ib  rail. 
fl.OO        75.00] 

245  \     to  to     \     Based  on  use  of  new  rail,  according  to 
[1.25       125. 00  J         weight. 

TURNABLES 

Item  Diameter  Cost  NOTES 

246  70  ft  $3,000  Exclusive  of  pit. 

247  70  ft  5,091  Including  pit  (?). 


Item 
248 

249 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF 
TRANSFER  PITS  AND  TABLES 


333 


Cost  per  Sq  Ft  of  Pit 
Pit          Table       Total 
.31         .17         .48 


.43 


.16 


.59 


NOTES 

Far  West,  modern;  to  handle  the 
heaviest  class  of  engines. 

East,  modern;  pit  of  concrete  through- 
out; capacity  of  table,  200  tons. 


Item 

250 

251 

252 

253 

254 

255 


MISCELLANEOUS    STRUCTURES 

Name  Cost 

Ash  Pit $30.20  per  If. 

Coal  Chute 65  per  sq  ft. 

Water  Tank 1,900 .00  total 


Water  Pipe,  Underground  Laid. . . 
Sewer  Pipe,  Underground  Laid — 

Long  lines  of  Wrt  Iron  Pipe 

(for  Air,  Gas  or  Water),  with  Usual 
Proportion  of  Valves,  Fittings,  etc., 
in  Place. 

NOTES 


1.43  per  If. 

2. 88  per  If. 

25. 00  per  100  If  I"  diam. 

45. 00  per  100  If  2"  diam. 

85. 00  per  100  If  3"  diam. 

130. 00  per  100  If  4"  diam. 


251.  Two  sided  with  trestle  approach  (?) 

252.  Fifty  thousand  gall   capacity  on  timber  trestle   (?) 
252.  Large  system,  pipes  from  12"  down  to  4". 

254.  Large  system,  pipes  from  24"  down  to  12". 

255.  Given  by  large  pipe  contracting  firm  of  PTttsburg. 

MINOR  BUILDINGS 


Cost 

Item  Name                      per  SF 

256  Iron  Storehouse 24 

257  Brass  Foundry 1 . 96 

258  Upholstery  Shop 58 

259  Paint  Mixing  Shop..      .58 

260  Paint  Storehouse 1 . 75 

261  Freight  Repair  Shed     .  11 

262  Dry  Kiln 79 

263  Lumber  Shed 21 

264  Storehouse  Shed 31 

265  Coal  Shed 24 

266  Coal  Shed 25 

267  Charcoal  shed 21 

268  Ice  House 57 

269  Ice  House 60 

270  Crematory 2.52 

271  Small  Office  Building     .50 


Cost 
perCF 

.011 
.098 
.029 
.029 

.087 


NOTES 

Old,  Wooden  (?). 

Old,  Brick  and  Wood  (?). 

Old.  Brick  and  Wood  (?). 

Old,  Brick  and  Wood  (?). 

Old,  Brick  and  Wood  (?). 

New,Wooden,OpenSides(?). 

.039     Old,  Wooden  (?). 

Old  Wooden  ,OpenSides(?) 

Old.  Wooden  (?). 

Old,  Wooden  (?). 

Old,  Wooden  (?). 

Old,  Wooden  (?). 


.015 
.020 
.021 
.017 
.028 
.030 
.210 


Old,  Wooden  (?). 
Old,  Wooden  (?). 


. .     Old,  Wooden,  One  Story. 
(The  Report  of  the  Master  Mechanics  ends  here.) 


334  THE     NEW    BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SHOP  EQUIPMENT 

FOUNDATIONS  FOR  STEAM  HAMMERS:— The  following 
figures  are  approx,  as  depth,  soil  and  manufacturers'  ideas 
differ.  On  good  soil  piles  are  unnecessary.  See  page  45  for 
cost  of  concrete  for  machine  foundations: 

800  Ib  HAMMER: 

1,050'    lumber    $31.25 

15  yds  excavation   7.50 

12  piles 72.00 

12  cy  concrete   84.00 

Bolts    5.00 

$199.75 
1,100  Ib: 

1,650'  lumber   $49.50 

15   yds   excavation 7.50 

12    piles    72.00 

12  cy  concrete   84.00 

Bolts    ,  8.00 


$221.00 

2,500  Ib: 

2,150'    lumber    $64.50 

25  yds  excavation   12.50 

16  piles 96.00 

25  cy  concrete   175.00 

Bolts    12.00 

$360.00 

5,000  Ib: 

3.350'  lumber $100.50 

30  yds  excavation   15.00 

22    piles 132.00 

28  cy  concrete   196.00 

$443.50 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  335 

CRANES: 

50  ton  electric,  75'  span   $19,000 

25  ton  electric,  75'  span 12,000 

10  ton  electric    6,200 

15  hand 1,000 

Motors  included.     Prices  vary  according  to  span,  etc. 

15  ton  electric,  50'  span  and  5  ton  auxiliary  hoist. .  $4,800 

10  ton  electric,  53'   3,750 

2  ton  electric,  24' 2,000 

20  ton  electric,  50    4,750 

60  ton  stationary,  electric   7,000 

2  ton  jib,  electric   450 

5  ton  jib,  electric   1,300 

1  ton  wall,  electric   150 

10   ton  gantry,   53'   4,600 

No  freight  or  erection. 

SAND  CRANE  installed,  $175. 

CUPOLAS  FOR  FOUNDRIES:— For  63",  $975;   78",  $1,380. 
CONDENSER  for  2,000  h  p,  $10,000. 

BLUE  PRINTING:— Electric  machines   (large)   from  $230  to 
$400. 

BENCHES 

BRAZING  with  I"   steel  top,   3"   plank,   drawers  and  doors, 

$6.00  per  If. 

CABINET    MAKERS'    BENCH    fully    equipped,    to    special 

design,  $75. 

MACHINE    BENCH,    covered    with    |"    steel    top,    4    large 

drawers,  15  trays,  both  of  steel,  and  doors,  $8  per  If. 

CARPENTER'S  BENCH  on  average  building,  $4.10. 

BOILERS 

For  250  h  p  marine,  $3,900,  not  set. 
For  100  h  p,  $1,100,  not  set. 
For  2  42"xl4'  set  up,  $1,450. 


336  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

MOTORS 

For  12  h  p,      185  r  p  m $700 

For  5  h  p,      870  r  p  m 140 

For  5  h  p,  1,100  r  p  m 180 

For  3  h  p,  1,600  r  p  m 80 

For  3  h  p,  1,100  r  p  m 105 

For  7  h  p,  1,180  r  p  m 140 

For  7£  h  p,  1,456  r  p  m 185 

For  10  h  p,  1.175  r  p  m 170 

For  2  h  p,  1,200  r  p  m 80 

For  30                                    360 

FANS: 

For   60"    $400  Chicago 

For   45"    330 

With  4  and  3  h  p  motors. 

For  36"  with  motor  attached $180.00  net 

For  30"  with  motor  attached 140.00  net 

For  24"  with  motor  attached 110.00  net 

For  18"  with  motor  attached 85.00  net 

WATER   METERS 

2" $66 

3"    140 

Crown  4"    251 

Crown  6"    500 

See  also  Chap  XVIII. 

WATER  FILTERS:— For  240  men,  $300  in  place,  7  to  14  galls 
per  minute.  For  15  to  30  galls,  $400  set  up;  24  to  48  galls, 
$630;  100  to  200  galls,  $1,700.  For  domestic  use  from  $10  up. 
TURNSTILES:— From  $40  to  $200. 

TRANSFER  TABLES  AND  PITS:— Pits  may  cost  from  $25 
to  $35  per  If,  depending  upon  depth  and  sections;  for  an  80' 
table  $6,600;  90',  $7,000  to  $7,500. 

REFRIGERATORS:—!    7'xlO'xl2',    $225. 
1   9'xl9'xl2',   $460. 

Or  27c  and  23c  per  cf  for  common  work  of  3  thicknesses  of 
flooring,  4  of  paper,  and  1£"  of  mineral  wool. 


RAILROAD  BUILDINGS  PER  SQ  AND  CF  337 

HEATER  BOX:— One  12'xl4'x9'-6"  high,  ceiled  both  sides,  and 
lined  with  No.  22  galv  iron,  heated  by  coils,  $360,  complete, 
or  23c  per  cf.     Coils  40c  per  sq  ft. 
SILVERING  TABLE: — Copper  lined,  $2  per  sq  ft. 
LIGHTNING  RODS: — They  should  weigh  not  less  than  C  oz 
to  the  foot.     They  are  worth  in  place  for  ordinary  buildings 
45c  per  ft;   and  for  chimney  stacks,  $1. 
WINDMILLS:— For    12',    $250;    20',    $400;    25',    $475. 
TRACK: — Standard  gauge  $1.25  per  ft;   2'  gauge  light  rails, 
65c.     Turntables  $50. 

WATER  PIPE: 

Laid,     6"    $1.40  per  ft 

Laid,     8"    1.60  per  ft 

Laid,  10"    1.80  per  ft 

Laid,  12"    2.20  per  ft 

Laid,  18"    3.50  per  "ft 

Laid,  24"    5.00  per  ft 

Laid,  36" 8.75  per  ft 

Laid,  48" 15.50  per  ft 

LABOR  on  laying  18",  50c;  24,  75c;  36,  $1;  48,  $1.50,  included 
in  total. 

But  cast  iron  pipe  varies  greatly  in  weight,  according  to 
use,  pressure,  etc.    See  table  in  Chap  XXVIII. 
SEWERS:— See  under  "Municipal  Work." 
SHOP  FLOORS: — For  a  damp  proof  floor,  8  bbls  cinders  to  1 
of  coal  tar,  laid  6"  thick,  allow  8c  per  sq  ft; and  for  the  3"x4" 
bedded  16"  on  centers  in  the  mixture,  and  covered  wth  3" 
flooring,  16c  making  a  total  of  24c  per  sq  ft.    Various  kinds 
of  these  floors  run  from  24c  to  30c. 

COAL  TAR  costs  more  than  water  gas  tar.  Bids  on  a 
large  quantity  ran  from  $2.70  to  $3.90  per  bbl  of  52  galls. 
Water  gas,  about  $2.00  to  $2.50.  Coal  tar  is  used  on  gravel 
roofs. 


CHAPTER  XXIII 

STANDARD  10-STALL  79.5,  85,  AND  90    ENGINE   HOUSES 
ALSO  A  50-STALL  RECTANGULAR  ENGINE   HOUSE 

The  standard  engine  house  is  now  being  increased  from 
80  to  85  and  90'  on  main  lines  of  railroad. 

Standards  naturally  differ  on  different  roads,  but  a  fair  aver 
may  be  obtained  from  the  following  figures.  As  the  85  and 
90'  houses  are  of  recent  growth  the  estimate  will  be  of  value, 
but  a  few  remarks  are  necessary  to  remind  the  reader  that 
all  kinds  of  changes  are  possible  and  that  local  conditions 
might  seriously  affect  the  total.  Length  is  over  walls — not 
inside: 

EXCAVATION:— The  allowance  is  about  4'  below  base  of 
rail.  Instead  of  excavation  a  fill  might  be  necessary,  or  the 
natural  surf  might  be  several  ft  too  high,  perhaps  adding 
hundreds  of  dollars  to  the  cost.  Then  the  pits  might  not 
require  to  be  excavated  in  the  center,  but  only  for  footings 
run  down  on  each  side  in  the  firm  soil. 

CONCRETE  OR  RUBBLE : —Quantity  depends  upon  the  sec- 
tion used,  and  price  upon  locality.  Footings  are  estimated 
3'  wide.  The  bottom  of  pits  might  be  of  same  thickness  full 
length;  or  might  have  to  be  level  on  base  and  the  slope  of 
solid  concrete.  There  is  more  labor  required  on  pits  and 
angles  than  on  a  straight  wall.  Am.  Portland  is  estimated. 
CUT  STONE:— Water  table  and  sills  are  estimated  at  8x8; 
for  ordinary  work  5x7  is  used.  Door  sills  are  est  stone. 
Water  table  might  be  of  concrete.  Window  caps  might  be  of 
stone,  and  not  old  rail  to  be  cut  and  set.  Pier  blocks  might 
be  iron  and  not  stone  as  below.  A  local  stone  might  be  sup- 
plied for  $1.20  per  cf  instead  of  $1.40  as  estimated.  Unload- 
ing  and  setting,  15%,  total,  $1.61.  -Range  work  might  have 

to  be  added. 

338 


ENGINE    HOUSES 


339 


8S3888888888888£8 


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340  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

BRICK: — Walls  ought  to  be  17",  but  in  a  fit  of  economy  they 
might  be  cut  to  13";  and  height  might  be  changed.  Size  and 
number  of  openings;  price  of  brick,  pilasters,  and  cornices 
are  all  subject  to  change.  Pressed  brick  might  be  used. 
Number  is  given  in  wall  measure. 

LUMBER: — This  material  is  of  various  prices  in  different 
sections  of  the  country;  millwork  varies  by  20  to  30%  even 
in  the  same  section;  carpenters  are  paid  30c  in  one  place  and 
45  in  another;  and  paving  might  be  used  in  one  house  and 
left  out  in  the  next.  An  extra  line  of  inside  posts  is  used  on 
the  90'  house. 

There  is  no  painting  ets'd  on  brick,  posts  or  ceiling.    Smoke 
jacks  and  ventilators  are  of  wood — add  $230  if  steel  is  wanted. 
PITS: — Pits   are   deducted   from   paving;    and   length   is   in- 
creased to  correspond  with  house. 
PIPING  is  for  air,  steam  and  water. 

There  is  no  gutter. 
Net  prices  are  used. 
DROP  PIT: — If  drop  pit  is  used  allow  $400  extra. 

The  aver  contractor  would  take  such  buildings  for  a  profit 
of  5%,  or  about  $800  additional;  and  out  of  this  pay  insur- 
ance, etc.  If  thrown  open  to  bidding  a  cut  of  10  to  }5%  might 
be  made — and  the  usual  crop  of  accidents,  liens,  lawsuits, 
etc,  sprung  up  to  vex  the  earth. 

On  the  basis  of  17  used  on  No.  2  (See  Chap  V).  160,600, 
170,700,  and  179,800  actual  brick  are  required;  at  17£  to  the 
cf,  as  with  very  small  brick,  165,350,  175,800,  185,100;  at  15$ 
for  very  large,  146,500,  155.700,  and  164,000,  or  a  difference 
of  about  20,000.  On  the  16i  basis  used  on  No.  8  153,550, 
163,200,  171,900  for  the  3  different  houses  in  round  numbers, 
with  brick  clear  to  grade. 

INSIDE  STALLS 

For  inside  stalls  on  same  basis: 

Excavation...  95  cy  103        113  $28.50  $30.90  $33.90 

Concrete 61          68          75  335.50  374.00  412.50 

Cut  Stone 25          25          28  40.25  40.25  .45.10 

Brick 11,500  11,800  12,100  126.50  129.80  133.10 

Old  Rail..  12.00  12.00  12.00 


ENGINE    HOUSES  341 

Lumber 10,20010,70011,500      183.60  192.60  207.00 

Millwork 80.00  80.00  80.00 

Carp  Labor....  87.00  95.00  105.00 

Gravel  Roof. . .  63.00  67.95  72.90 

Hardware 30.00  30.00  30.00 

Painting 20.00  20.00  20.00 

Smoke- jack  &  vent  55.00  55.00  55.00 

Track 48.00  51.00  54.00 

Piping 160.00  165.00  170.00 

Paving 119.00  130.00  138.85 

Total $1,388.35  $1,473.50  $1,569.35 

Add  whatever  profit  is  considered  possible  to  total  cost  price. 

For  8  inside  Stalls $11,106.80  $11.788.00  $12,554.80 

For  2  Outside  Stalls 4,785.20      5,099.40      5,387.85 

$15,892.00  $16,887.40  $17,942.65 

For  1  Outside  Stall $2,392.60     $2,549.70     $2,693.95 

For  1  Inside  Stall 1,388.35       1,473.50         1,569.35 

Difference $1,004.25     $1,076.20     $1,124^0 

At  17  brick  to  the  cf  an  inside  stall  requires  8,700,  8,900, 
9,150. 

PIT:— For  the  excavation  of  a  standard  pit  allow  34  cf  to 
each  If  full  length  of  pit.  and  add  3  cy  for  the  deep  end. 

For  concrete  or  rubble  deduct  the  2  ends,  or  6'  2",  from 
extreme  length,  and  allow  184  cf  for  them;  then  multiply 
each  If  of  straight  pit  by  21.07,  and  add  184  to  the  result 
for  the  total  in  cf. 

PILES: — If  piles  are  used,  staggered  about  4'  centers,  allow 
for  walls  and  piers,  64  for  the  2  end  stalls,  and  14  for  each 
inside  stall.  For  each  pit,  36.  At  $5  per  pile,  $268  per  stall 
on  a  90',  10  stall  house. 

If  concrete  is  used  instead  of  timbers,  allow  2.5  cf  to  each 
If  of  pit,  a  total  of  23.57  cf. 

RECTANGULAR  ENGINE  HOUSE:— When  finishing  the 
foregoing  estimates  I  saw  a  plan  of  a  rectangular  engine 
house  in  "The  Engineering  News,"  New  York,  N.  Y.  It  is 
rather  an  interesting  substitute  for  the  ordinary  roundhouse, 
and  as  the  cost  was  not  given  among  the  other  advantages 
or  drawbacks  I  made  an  estimate,  as  nearly  as  possible  with- 
out working  plans,  so  that  a  comparison  might  be  had  with  the 


342 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


85'  radial  house.  To  correspond  with  that  the  size  of  the 
plan  was  changed  to  85'  over  walls  instead  of  inside.  The 
depth  of  footings  and  height  of  walls  are  the  same;  roof  is 
est  at  i"  rise  to  the  ft;  prices  are  same.  Steel  lintels  are 
put  over  triple  openings,  and  that  increases  the  cost;  but 
there  would  not  be  sufficient  light  with  2  ordinary  windows. 
Skylight  and  lantern  are  extra,  and  none  too  large. 

The  cost  of  a  transfer  pit  recently  erected  was  $21  per  If; 
but  in  some  cases  with  deep  concrete  this  might  run  as  high 
as  $35;  with  end  walls  not  necessary  in  "  Eng  News"  plan, 
and  with  1  wall  fewer  in  center  the  cost  is  $18  on  same  sec- 
tions and  depth.  Pit  is  given  separately,  although  enclosing 
walls  necessarily  go  with  building.  Paving  is  not  figured  in 
pit.  Traveling  crane,  drop  pit,  etc,  are  not  estd,  but  both 
buildings  kept  on  same  basis. 

Summary  of  "Eng  News"  plan  of  a  50  stall,  85'  rectangular 
engine  house,  240'x471': 

Excavation .  $1,590      Skylight $4,300 

Concrete 18,293  Hardware   and    Lantern 

Cut  Stone 2,700          Gearing 1,200 

Brickwork 6,636      Painting 1,050 

Steel  Lintels 2,590      Smoke- jacks  and  V's 2,750 

Lumber 12,384      Track 2,326 

Millwork 4,000      Piping 7,500 

Carpenter  Labor 6,000      Paving 6,875 

Gravel  Roof 4,644      Flashing 200 

Summary  of  Transfer  Pit :  $85,038 

Excavation $1,800 

Concrete 5,462 

Rail,  Bolts,  and  Clips 908 

Transfer  Table 6,600 

Side  Coping  Timber 240 

$15,010 

Summary  of  a  50-stall,  85  ft,  radial  engine-house:  *      ' 

2  Outside  Stalls $5,100 

48  Inside  Stalls 70,728 

1  Turntable 5,125 

50  New  Frogs 1,000 

5000'  Track  bet  Table  and  Doors 4,000 

$85,953 

Difference..  $14,095 


ENGINE    HOUSES  343 

The  roundhouse  is  16%  cheaper  than  the  rectangular  plan, 
The  plain  L.  S.  D.,  "dollars  and  cents,"  argument  is  against 
a  change  unless  other  reasons  than  cost  carry  the  day.  And 
Mr.  Nichols  admits  that  a  turntable  is  still  necessary  in  the 
yard.  If  the  transfer  table  is  cut  out  the  walls  can  be  ma- 
terially shortened  and  the  cost  reduced,  but  a  new  method  of 
working  is  required. 

FIRE: — Fire  walls  are  not  estimated  on  either  plan.  For 
a  radial  house,  if  used,  allow  $800  to  $900  each,  complete. 

HEATING: — In  these  estimates  the  pipes  are  in  place  ready 
for  steam  heating:  if  the  hot  blast  system  is  used  instead, 
the  supply  has  to  be  brought  to  the  blower  from  which  dis- 
tribution is  made.  The  cost  is  about  the  same  as  with  the 
pipe  system.  Of  6  engine  houses  in  different  parts  of  the 
country  heated  by  the  blast  system  the  aver  of  the  work  was 
$191  per  stall;  the  price  ranged  from  $165  to  $245.  If  the 
highest  figure  is  eliminated  the  aver  is  $181. 

STANDARD: — The  standard  house  is,  of  course,  different  on 
railroads,  but  the  one  from  which  the  detailed  figures  are 
given  is  heavy  enough  to  serve  as  a  safe  building  to  estimate 
from  an  approx  estimates. 

COST: — On  another  plan  an  8  stall  90'  house  cost  $24,000  in 
one  place,  and  $21,700  in  another;  and  had  100,000  actual  brick, 
with  15,000  for  the  two  outside  stalls.  In  the  first  case  the 
cost  per  stall  is  $3,000,  which  is  far  too  high.  Careful  esti- 
mates are  as  nothing  in  the  face  of  incompetent  management. 
A  90'  FRAME  HOUSE  should  not  cost  over  $1,550  per  stall. 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  ENGINE  HOUSES:— At  Gale- 
wood,  111.,  the  estimated  cost  of  36  stalls  was  $80,000,  or 
$2,200  per  stall.  This  was  for  concrete  up  to  the  window 
sills  and  brick  above. 

Another  of  the  same  design  and  30  stalls  was  built  at  West 
Milwaukee  for  $65,000,  $2,167  per  stall.  Both  were  84'  over 
all. 

SMOKEJACKS  are  of  various  styles  and  prices.  A  cast  iron 
fixed  one  is  $87  fob  Chicago;  another  $100;  3  styles  of  asbestos 
building  lumber  are  $90,  $150,  $165.  Wood,  from  $40  to  $75. 


344  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LIGHTING: — Allow  in  addition  to  all  foregoing  estimates  $70 
per  stall  for  electric  lighting,  if  required. 

TURNTABLES 

For  a  72'  table  allow  $2,300  fob  Chicago— wt,  31  tons;  1,000 
cy  excavation;  127  cy  concrete  or  rubble;  60  cy  gravel  for 
slope;  21  piles  if  any  are  used;  $200  for  ties,  bolts,  coping, 
and  labor;  $70  for  70  Ib  pit  rail;  $30  for  catch  basin;  and  $300 
for  bending  rail,  unloading  and  setting  table,  a  total  without 
the  piles  of  $4,078.50,  with  excavation  at  30c,  concrete  at  $5.50, 
and  gravel  at  $3.  Piles,  freight  and  percentage  to  be  added 
if  required. 

For  a  75'  table  allow  $2,650,  Chicago, — wt,  38  tons;  1,070  cy 
excavation;  136  cy  concrete;  66  cy  gravel;  21  piles;  $225 
for  ties,  bolts,  etc;  $73  for  pit  rail;  $30  for  catch  basin;  and 
$330  for  unloading,  bending  and  setting,  a  total  of  $4,575. 
Add  piles,  etc,  if  necessary  same  as  on  72'  table.  The  66' 
table  is  now  out  of  date. 

For  an  80'  turntable  and  pit  complete,  allow  $7,200. 

For  an  8'  table,  plain  top,  weight,  5,800  Ibs,  $200,  at  Chicago. 

STREET  CAR  BARNS : 

Per  sq.  ft. 

Timber  barn,  two-track  bays,  sides  covered 

with  corrugated  iron  $0.55  to  $0.70 

Timber  barn,  three-track  bays,  brick  or  stone 

walls  1.10  to  1.30 

Fireproof  concrete  barn,  three-track  bays,  con- 
crete or  brick  walls  1.25  to  1.50 

Clear  span  steel  roof,  eight  to  ten  tracks,  brick 

walls  1.40  to  2.00 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

STANDARD    SIZES    AND    GRADES 

The  theory  of  standard  sizes  and  shapes  is  correct.  After 
the  pattern  is  made  it  serves  for  many  castings  as  easily 
as  for  one.  Only  one  drawing  has  to  he  made,  and  this,  too,  is 
worth  noting. 

CUT  STONE:— The  sizes  are  marked  on  plans,  for  most  of 
it  is  special;  but  if  not  specified,  window  sills  are  5"x7"  for 
ordinary  walls,  but  always  wide  enough  to  reach  about  2" 
under  the  wood.  The  lugs  extend  4"  on  each  side  into  the 
brickwork,  unless  slip  sills  are  used.  If  thicker  sills  are 
wanted  the  size  must  be  marked  or  specified. 

Door  sills  are  1\"  thick  and  of  width  to  suit  the  thickness 
of  the  wall— 11",  15",  19".  They  extend  about  1"  outside  of 
brick,  and  should  always,  unless  for  some  special  reason, 
join  with  the  floor  below  the  door  so  that  joint  can  not  be 
seen  from  outside  or  inside.  They  usually  extend  4"  in  on 
each  side  like  window  sills  and  lintels. 

Lintels  are  8"  in  height  by  thickness  to  reach  to  the  face  of 
frame,  thus  giving  the  mould  for  cover. 

Unless  otherwise  specified  ashlar  may  be  used  all  over 
only  4"  thick.  An  ordinary  front  is  laid  in  4  and  8"  blocks. 

BRICKWORK:— In  the  majority  of  American  cities  the 
national  size  is  now  standard,  although  some  makers  still 
use  their  old  sizes  in  spite  of  law  which  makes  2£x4x8i  com- 
pulsory for  common  brick.  For  the  sizes  of  pressed  brick, 
see  Chap  V. 

CEMENT  AND  LIME:— A  bbl  of  Port  cement  weighs  376  to 
380  Ibs  net,  and  comes  in  4  sacks  of  cloth  or  paper  if  not 
barreled. 

Natural  cement  weighs  about  266  Ibs  for  western  and  300 
for  eastern  brands,  and  is  delivered  in  2  cloth,  or  usually 
3  paper  sacks. 

Lime  weighs  about  200  Ibs,  and  equals  2£  bus. 

345 


346  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR  _ 

LUMBER: — There  is  so  much  trouble  and  confusion  with' 
sizes  and  quality  of  lumber  that  it  is  worth  while  to  clear  up 
a  few  points — but  those  who  know  how  the  lumbermen  them- 
selves quarrel  over  grades  will  not  expect  much  here. 

The  subject  is  as  wide  as  the  continent;  and  the  Forest 
Service,  Washington,  D.  C.,  sells  for  15c  a  book  of  126  large 
pages,  entitled,  "  Rules  and  Specifications  for  the  Grading  of 
Lumber." 

LENGTHS: — It  would,  of  course,  be  absurd  to  change  the 
design  of  a  building  to  suit  the  standard  lengths  of  lumber; 
but  sometimes  without  going  so  far  a  useless  waste  might  be 
avoided  if  architects  would  only  remember  that  it  comes 
with  a  difference  of  2'  in  length.  It  sometimes  seems  that 
it  might  be  cut  to  the  odd  as  well  as  to  the  even  sizes;  but 
lumber  men  know  their  own  business  best,  and  we  have  to 
accept  what  they  give. 

But  unless  for  a  weighty  reason  why  make  a  space  19'  8" 
instead  of  19'  4"?  In  some  cases  there  is  no  possibility  of 
changing  the  width,  and  the  material  must  be  lost;  in  others 
it  might  just  as  well  be  made  to  suit  20'  joists.  It  is  not 
always  best  to  space  purlins  exactly  the  same;  sometimes  by 
the  change  of  a  few  inches  2'  of  lumber  can  be  saved  on  both 
sides  clear  across  a  roof  hundreds  of  ft  long.  This  24"  dif- 
ference in  length  is  worth  some  attention  when  dealing  with 
flooring,  ceiling,  shelving,  etc.  The  lengths  upon  which  prices 
are  based  are  12,  14,  16;  lumber  10'  long  usually  costs  more, 
because  it  has  to  be  cut  from  20'  lengths.  Above  16  the 
price  rises,  and  the  longer  the  timber  the  higher  the  price. 

For  yp,  the  "  Association  "  rules  are : 

"  The  standard  lengths  are  multiples  of  2',  10  to  24',  inclu- 
sive, for  boards,  strips,  dimension,  joists,  and  timbers.  Longer 
or  shorter  lengths  than  those  herein  specified  are  special.  Odd 
and  fractional  lengths  shall  be  counted  as  of  the  next  higher 
even  length. 

On  stock  width  shipments  of  No.  1  common  and  better  lum- 
ber, either  rough  or  dressed  1  or  2  sides,  no  piece  shall  be 
admissible  that  is  more  than  ^"  scant  on  8"  and  under;  |" 
scant  on  10",  or  \"  scant  on  12"  or  wider.  All  4"  and  wider, 
No.  2  common  stock  may  go  \"  scant  in  width." 


STANDARD     SIZES     AND     GRADES  347 

Flooring  and  ceiling  are  never  more  than  16'  long;  above 
that  length  is  special,  and  more  so  than  with  dimension  lum- 
ber. It  is  necessary  for  both  architect  and  estimator  to 
watch  the  spacing  of  the  first  joist  at  the  wall,  and  especially 
if  mill  construction  with  centers  of  4  to  8'  is  used.  The  floor- 
ing or  ceiling  has  to  reach  the  wall,  past  the  center  of  the 
wall  joist;  and  therefore  the  spacing  must  be  from  the  wall 
or  else  the  ceiling  and  flooring  will  only  reach  the  edge  of 
the  further  joist;  and  with  wide  centers  this  means  waste. 

When  ordering  large  quantities  of  flooring  or  ceiling  it  is 
safer  to  give  the  proportion  of  lengths  that  will  be  accepted, 
or  the  whole  bill  may  come  in  12's. 

The  following  sizes  are  from  the  lumbermen's  printed  list 
for  yp;  95%  of  southern  lumber  is  graded  and  classified  ac- 
cording to  these  rules: 

STANDARD  SIZES  OF  DRESSED  LUMBER 

FINISHING:— 1"  SIS,  or  2S  to  if,  1|"  SIS  or  2S  to  1&,  !$'» 
SIS  or  2S  to  1J4,  2"  SIS  or  2S  to  If". 

MOULDED  CASING  AND  BASE:— }§.     1x4  SIS  shall  be  3i" 
wide,  finished;   1x6  S4S  shall  be  5i"  wide  finished. 
FLOORING:— The   standard  of  1x3,   1x4  and   1x6"   shall  be 
}§x2i,  3i  and  5i;  U"  flooring  shall  be  W  thick. 
DROP  SIDING:— D  and  M  |x3i  and  5$". 
DROP  SIDING:— Shiplap,  fx5"  face,  5$  over  all. 
PARTITION:— |x3i  and  5i". 

CEILING:— f"  ceiling,  &";  \"  ceiling,  TV';  f"  ceiling,  &";  f" 
ceiling,  }J".  Same  width  as  flooring.  The  bead  on  all  ceil- 
ing and  partition  shall  be  depressed  ^  of  an  inch  below  surf 
line  of  piece. 

BEVEL  SIDING: — To  be  made  from  stock  S4S  to  }|x5£  and 
resawed  on  a  bevel. 

WINDOW    AND    DOOR    JAMBS: — Dressed,    rabbeted,    and 
plowed  as  ordered,  worked  i"  scant  of  width. 
BOARDS   AND  FENCING:—!"   SIS  or  2S  to  }|". 
SHIPLAP:— 8,  10,  and  12".     }§x7|,  9&  and  11£". 
D  AND  M:— 8,  10,  and  12".     }|x7|,  9J,  and  11 J". 


348  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

GROOVED  ROOFING:— 10  and  12"  SIS  and  2E  to  }|x9£  and 
lli". 

DIMENSION:— 2x4  D1S  and  IE  to  Ifx3f";  2x6  D1S  and  IE  to 
11x51";  2x8  D1S  and  IE  to  Ifx74";  2x10  D1S  and  IE  to 
Ifx9£";  2x12  D1S  and  IE  to  Ifxlli";  4x4  and  4x6  D1S  and  IE 
to  f"  off  side  and  edge;  S4S  1"  off  each  side. 

Dimension  lumber  comes  from  f  to  \"  less  than  the  speci- 
fied size,  for,  in  Omaha,  at  least,  it  is  always  surfaced  on 
1  side  and  1  edge.  If  wanted  rough  it  has  to  be  so  ordered, 
and  the  price  is  $1  extra  per  M  on  account  of  freight  charges. 
This  applies  to  yp.  With  Oregon  fir  it  is  different,  for  it  is 
never  surfaced  unless  so  ordered;  but  it  is  surfaced  on  1  to 
4  sides  as  required.  While  yp  loses  §  to  $"  in  surfacing  1  side, 
Oregon  fir  is  surfaced  2  sides  with  a  loss  of  only  i".  Thus  yp 
8x12  would  come  about  TixllJ,  while  Oregon  fir  would  be 
Vfxllf.  But  again,  the  Oregon  figures  are  not  always  reli- 
able; the  price  list  calls  for  i  extra  on  each  side  for  sur- 
facing if  exact  dressed  size  is  required. 

JOISTS: — Years  ago  the  Omaha  architects  made  a  fight 
against  this  surfacing,  and  specified  that  no  joists  would  be 
accepted  under  1|"  thick;  but  they  had  to  end  by  accept- 
ing market  sizes  which  will  be  sustained  by  any  court.  The 
remedy  is  to  place  the  thin  joists  closer  together,  or  to 
specify  2i  thick;  and  in  either  case  the  price  is  increased, 
the  owner  refuses  to  build,  the  architect  is  in  danger  of  los- 
ing his  percentage — and  eagerly  accepts  any  thickness  and 
iurns  his  eyes  in  the  other  direction. 

DROP  SIDING    AND    SHIPLAP :  — Drop    siding   and    shiplap 
come  about  the  same  as  flooring  of  equal  width.    While  6" 
shiplap  is  a  standard  size  it  is  never  seen  in  this  territory; 
8"  is  usual;  10"  is  seldom  handled. 
SIDING:—  V  siding  is  5i"  wide;  4",  3£. 

SHEETING: — Sheeting  or  common  boards  come  about  tfie 
same  as  dimension  lumber — i"  narrower  than  the  theoretical 
size.  Here  it  is  worth  while  to  state  that  sheeting  and 
sheathing  are  not  the  same,  although  often  used  for  each 
other.  Sheeting  is  sheathing;  but  sheathing  may  not  be 
sheeting.  According  to  the  latest  dictionary  it  may  be 


STANDARD     SIZES     AND     GRADES  349 

tongued  and  grooved  bds,  metallic  shingles,  paper,  tile,  or 
indeed  anything  that  sheaths  or  encloses.  A  specification  is 
not  complete  when  it  calls  for  sheathing  unless  it  gives  the 
kind.  Whether  specified  or  not  all  sheeting,  Oregon  fir  in- 
cluded, is  surfaced  1  side,  but  1  side  only. 
SHINGLES: — There  are  250  dimension  shingles  4"  wide  in 
a  bunch;  in  common,  there  are  enough  of  varying  widths  to 
cover  the  same  surf.  The  thinning  process  has  gone  so  far 
with  them  too  that  architects  now  specify  that  the  thickness 
of  5  at  butts  shall  not  be  less  than  2'.'.  The  thinner  shingles 
— 6  to  2 — are  also  narrower  and  require  more  to  the  sq. 
LATH: — A  bundle  contains  50  pcs  4'  long,  which  suit  joists 
at  either  16  or  12"  centers.  A  shorter  length — 32 — which 
does  not  suit  12"  centers  is  now  on  the  market. 
FINISH: — Unlike  joists  and  dimension  lumber  finish  comes 
within  a  trifle  of  the  thickness;  and  the  rough  size  is  never 
taken  when  making  out  a  bill.  All  good  finish  comes  sur- 
faced on  2  sides  so  that  it  is  not  necessary  to  specify  sur- 
facing. A  cheaper  kind  is  SIS  only;  but  when  wanted,  it 
must  be  specially  mentioned. 

By  referring  back  to  the  table  it  will  be  seen  that  the  thick- 
ness is  marked  if,  1&  and  1J$.  Contractors  never  use  these 
sizes,  but  J,  1$,  1§,  1£,  If,  and  2",  for  the  various  kinds.  It 
is  better  to  keep  to  the  common  usage  which  is  understood 
by  all  who  handle  lumber.  One  sometimes  sees  |"  finish  speci- 
fied in  3  or  4  different  ways-— f,  }|,  f,  and  1".  It  is  not  safe 
to  use  f  for  |,  as  there  is  a  thin  finish  that  is  occasionally 
seen  on  the  market. 

White  pine  is  graded  here  as  No.  1,  2,  and  3 ;  Chicago  grades 
are  A,  B,  and  C.    The  price  increases  with  the  thickness. 
LENGTH: — The  longest  length  of  finish  in  this  market  is 
16';    special  lengths  are  seldom  seen  as  standard  sizes  can 
easily  be  joined. 

STOCK  BDS: — Stock  boards,  which  are  cheaper  than  yp 
finish,  are  used  for  shelving.  They  are  S2S,  and  never  more 
than  12"  wide. 

So  far  as  the  lumber  yard  is  concerned,  then,  this  prin- 
ciple is  clear:  all  sawing  and  surfacing  are  done  inside  of  the 


350  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

specified  size.  Even  down  to  furring  strips  this  holds  good; 
for  they  come  ifxlf  instead  of  1x2. 

FINISH: — But  the  width  on  a  drawing  or  order  is  preserved 
at  the  planing  mill  when  finish  is  billed.  Corner-bds  come 
to  the  exact  size,  and  so  does  all  such  work  when  both  edges 
are  exposed.  But  a  frieze,  or  plancher  may  be  a  trifle  nar- 
row as  the  bed  moulding  covers  the  joint.  With  corner  bds, 
belt  courses,  etc,  it  is  better  to  give  the  exact  width,  but 
with  ridges,  cornice  lumber,  etc,  to  send  the  boards  and  let 
the  carpenter  do  the  fitting.  Sometimes  a  ridge  may  be 
better  if  put  on  wider  than  shown  on  drawing,  owing  to 
spacing  of  shingles;  and  this  is  just  one  illustration" 
BOARD  MEASURE: — Lumber  or  timber  is  estimated  in 
"  bm,"  or  reduced  to  1"  thick. 

READY  RECKONERS:— Most  of  the  lumber  yards  hand  out 
measurement  tables.  To  get  the  quantity  in  bm  mult  the 
section  or  end  of  the  dimension  lumber  in  inches  and  divide 
by  12,  then  mult  the  If  by  the  product.  Suppose  we  have  100 
pcs  of  6"x6"xl6';  6  mult  by  6  equals  36,  which  divided  by  12 
gives  3,  which  mult  by  1,600  gives  4,800'  in  bm.  If  2x4,  the 
result  would  be  1,067,  or  £  of  the  If,  for  8  is  §  of  12.  If  2x10, 
2,667,  for  20  divided  by  12  equals  If.  A  timber  14x16x24 
has  444'  bm,  for  14  mult  by  16  and  divided  by  12  equals  18§, 
which  mult  by  length  is  444.  The  disadvantage  of  some 
tables  is  that  each  piece  is  figured  by  itself  without  fractions, 
and  when  many  are  required  with  a  fractional  ending  there 
is  apt  to  be  a  slip,  while  by  reducing  to  If  the  fraction  can 
come  only  once.  Thus  a  2x8x16  is  sometimes  listed  at  21' 
bm;  it  really  contains  21  £';  and  if  this  figure  were  used  for 
100  pcs  the  total  would  be  33J'  more. 

Flooring,  ceiling,  siding,  shiplap,  etc,  are  taken  at  standard 
width,  and  everything  less  than  1"  thick  is  counted  as  1". 
But  the  price  per  M  sometimes  differs.  This  rule  applies  to 
finish  also — 4"  thick  counts  as  1".  A  flooring  board  16'  long 
by  4",  contains  £  of  length  in  bm ;  and  so  for  any  width  the 
same  rule  applies:  5"  would  contain  ^  of  length,  but  unless 
for  some  special  reason  odd  sizes  are  counted  even. 
GRADES:— White  pine  flooring  is  graded  No.  1,  2,  3,  4,  or  A, 
B,  C,  D.  The  best  quality  of  yp  flooring  is  variously  known 


STANDARD     SIZES     AND     GRADES  351 

as  rift  sawed,  q  s,  vertical  grain,  straight  grain.  There  are  3 
grades  of  this  flooring — A,  B,  and  C.  The  angle  of  the  grain 
must  not  be  more  than  45°  from  the  vertical;  if  more  angle  is 
shown  the  flooring  is  classed  as  flat  grain.  Flat  grain  is 
also  classed  as  A,  B,  and  C;  and  below  are  No.  1  and  2  fence. 

Yellow  pine  ceiling  is  graded  as  A,  B,  No.  1  and  2  common. 

Yellow  pine  drop  siding,  A,  B,  No.  1  common.  Bevel  sid- 
ing the  same. 

Yellow  pine  partition:  A,  B,  and  No.  1  common. 

Yellow  pine  casing  and  base,  A  and  B;  window  and  door 
jambs  the  same. 

Yellow  pine  common  boards,  shiplap  and  barn  siding;  No. 
1,  2,  3,  common;  fencing  the  same.  Yp  finishing  is  graded 
1st,  2d,  3d,  clear. 

Most  people  would  naturally  look  upon  No.  1  as  being  the 
best  of  its  kind,  but  it  is  only  the  best  common.  A,  B,  and 
sometimes  C,  come  before  this  grade.  There  have  been 
quarrels  enough  over  grading,  but  it  would  still  seem  that 
either  the  alphabet  or  figures  might  be  chosen  and  grades 
based  accordingly  with  less  chance  of  confusion. 

MILLWORK: — It  is  not  always  an  evidence  of  genius  to 
change  from  a  stock  pattern  to-  something  new.  It  is  not 
without  reason  that  mill  books  have  as  an  opening  sentence, 
"  It  is  economy  to  conform  to  regular  sizes  and  styles  as 
much  as  possible." 

One  mill  book  charges  everything  less  than  100'  as  100 
for  changing  machine  for  odd  work;  another  60c  extra  for 
the  same  work;  and  10%  extra  for  all  moulding  if  less  than 
200'  are  taken. 

MOULDING: — It  is  sometimes  necessary  to  mark  the  size 
of  a  moulding  on  a  drawing  so  that  it  may  be  examined  and 
criticized;  but  not  on  a  bill  of  material;  take  the  advice  of 
the  mill  man  and  order  by  number.  The  moulding  book  is 
universal.  Nearly  500  pcs  are  listed.  Sash,  doors,  blocks, 
gable  ends,  porch  posts — everything  is  listed  by  number. 

FLOORING: — Fine  flooring  is  usually  supplied  by  the  mill- 
man.  Maple  and  other  hardwood  floors  have  to  be  watched, 
as  2  to  16'  lengths  are  standard.  Some  architects  specify 


352  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

long  lengths,  but  this  means  an  increase  in  price.  There  is 
a  brand  sold  at  only  9"  to  20"  long.  It  means  a  spoiled  floor. 

MAPLE: — No.  1,  or  clear  maple,  is  the  standard;  and  coloi 
must  not  be  considered.  Strictly  clear  is  from  $10  to  $15 
per  M  more.  No.  1,  4  to  16',  and  trimmed  with  matched  ends 
to  ft  and  half  ft.  Proportion  of  4  to  5£'  long  may  be  10%. 

No.  2  small  knots,  sound,  2  to  16. 

No.  3,  or  factory,  is  inferior  with  some  waste  in  cutting. 

The  standard  width  of  2"  is  If  face;  2f,  2  face;  3,  2£  face; 
4,  3J.  Maple,  No.  1  grade  is  made  from  f  to  If  thick;  but 
I,  i,  f»  fig  is  made  in  If  and  2  face  only  if  maple;  but  i  and  f 
in  other  woods  sometimes  run  to  2£.  The  same  lengths  and 
widths  apply  to  maple,  oak,  birch,  cherry,  and  walnut. 

SASH: — The  listed  thicknesses  are  1&,  If,  and  If:  the  actual 
are  only  a  trifle  less.  Stables,  coal  sheds,  and  such  buildings 
are  fitted  with  1$;  and  they  are  also  used  for  storm  sash. 
The  If  are  for  cottages  with  4"  studding;  and  most  of  them 
have  that  width. 

"Doors,  blinds,  and  sash  are  often  ordered  1£,  1$,  and  2" 
thick.  Do  not  use  these  terms,  as  it  only  delays  orders." 
An  extra  price  is  charged  for  thicknesses  not  listed. 

The  width  of  a  window  is  of  course  regulated  by  the  glass. 
Add  for  2  It  windows  4&".  This  gives  the  size  of  the  frame, 
as  J"  is  allowed  for  play,  and  the  wood  is  2"  beyond  the 
glass  on  each  side.  All  2  It  standard  windows  are  6"  longer 
than  glass,  and  this  also  gives  frame.  With  sash  and  doors, 
the  order  is  width,  length,  thickness.  Thus  a  specimen  order 
might  be,  "  10  win,  2  lit,  24x24xlf ,  SS  —  "  or  DS  as  the  thick- 
ness of  glass,  single  or  dbl  strength.  It  is  safer  to  specify 
check  rail  if  wanted.  The  size  of  the  frame  would  be  2' 
4i"x4'  6". 

The  length  of  a  4  It  window  is  the  same;  but  5"  wood  in- 
stead of  4,  as  center  bar  is  f  thick.  The  frame  for  a  15x24 
is  2'  Il"x4'  6".  For  an  8  It  window,  5"  of  wood;  but  length 
is  same,  as  cross  bars  are  not  quite  £  thick.  An  8  It,  10x12 
frame  is  2'  I"x4'  6". 

For  12  It  window  cross  bars  are  i.  Frame  for  10x12  is 
2  10*x4'  6". 


STANDARD     SIZES     AND     GRADES  353 

It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  use  wider  sills  and  thicker 
cross  bars,  and  the  frame  has  to  be  increased  to  suit.  Store 
sash  have  3£  stiles  and  4i  bottom  rail. 

DOORS: — Standard  thicknesses  are  1|,  If,  if.  There  are 
doors  H  thick,  but  they  are  of  small  value.  The  mill  book 
gives  a  long  list  of  standard  sizes,  and  it  would  be  well  if 
they  were  always  followed.  Doors  may  be  sent  open  or 
glazed  as  ordered.  Mill  glazing  is  generally  cheaper. 

BLINDS: — They  are  listed  at  U,  and  If  thick,  both  for  out- 
side and  inside.  The  thicker  ones  are  seldom  seen.  Outside 
blinds  are  seldom  used  now. 

STAIR  WORK: — Balusters,  If;  newels,  5  and  6".  But  there 
is  endless  variety. 

PANELED  WAINSCOTING:— Thickness  is  usually  1J;  but  J 
is  also  made. 


CHAPTEE  XXV 

ODDS  AND  ENDS 

MINERAL  WOOL: — This  is  a  fibrous  material  of  the  nature 
of  glass.  Wood  strips  are  sometimes  used  and  must  be  in- 
cluded in  estimate  according  to  thickness  of  wool  on  floor. 
Sometimes  strips  are  nailed  on  sides  of  joists  and  boards 
laid  across  to  support  the  wool  in  the  same  way  that  almost 
all  houses  in  the  United  Kingdom  are  deafened  with  cinders 
and  mortar.  Details  should  be  seen  before  estimate  is  made. 
Floor  is  at  least  1$"  thick.  Outside  walls  are  often  packed 
full  width  of  studs. 

For  ordinary  wool  allow  1  Ib  per  sq  ft  for  each  inch  in  thick- 
ness, but  deduct  all  openings,  chimneys,  studs,  joists,  etc,  and 
proceed  on  exact  surf.  For  selected  wool  £  Ib  is  the  allow- 
ance. The  material  is  packed  in  3  bushel  bags,  for  which  a 
price  of  lOc  is  charged,  but  as  with  hard  plaster,  etc,  they 
are  returnable  at  cost  if  freight  is  prepaid.  The  following 
table  gives  weight,  price,  etc: 

Cost  per  100  Ibs 

Lbsper     Sq  Ft  CF      (in  ton  lots)      Cost  per  CF  at 

Average  CF       1"  thick        to  Ton     at  Fact 'y     Fact'y  in  ton  lots 

Ordinary  Slag  Wool  12  lib  166  $1.00  12c 

Selected  Slag  Wool     9  fib  223  1.67  15c 

Extra  Slag  Wool          6  \  Ib  333  4.00  24c 

Ordinary  Rock  Wool  12  lib  166  2.00  24c 

Selected  Rock  Wool    8  $  Ib  250  4.00  32c 

Extra  Rock  Wool       6  Jib  333  7.00  42c 

Note. — In  less  than  ton  lots  add  25c  per  100  Ibs  to  factory 
prices. 

The  wool  usually  put  in  buildings  costs  about  $17  per  ton 
fob  Omaha  in  car  load  lots — 30%  more  in  small  lots.  A  mini- 
mum car  load  is  10  tons.  The  labor  of  putting  it  in  place 
varies  according  to  thickness.  It  may  be  averaged  at  12c 
per  cf,  although  floors  should  not  cost  more  than  half.  But 
both  for  labor  and  material  it  is  necessary  to  watch  ceil- 
ings as  joists  are  sometimes  stripped  with  a  band  of  corru- 

354 


ODDS     AND     ENDS  355 

gated  iron,  stapled  on  edge  with  metal  lath  below  and  wool 
laid  on  top  of  lath.  Strip  is  at  least  1"  wide,  but  sometimes 
2  for  fire  protection.  Staples  for  lath  may  have  to  be  3" 
long. 

Brick  walls  are  sometimes  furred,  dbl  boarded  with  paper 
between,  then  lined  with  mineral  wool  between  studs,  and 
boarded  on  face  before  finishing.  This  to  emphasize  the 
necessity  of  seeing  full  details.  The  complete  cost  of  pro- 
tecting a  house  is  set  at  from  $75  to  $250  according  to  size. 
DEAFENING  QUILT:— This  material  is  made  1  yd  wide  and 
bales  contain  500  sq  ft.  Single  ply  bales  occupy  about  8  cf 
of  space. 

Per  Bale     Half-Bale 

Single  ply $4.50        $2.50 

Double  ply 5 . 50          3 . 00 

Asbestos 9 . 00          4.75 

Delivered  on  board  cars  or  boat  at  Boston.    Freight  as  far 
as  Omaha  is  $1  per  bale. 

Agents   and  dealers   should   add  freight. 

Bales  containing  500  sq  ft  each;  half  bales  250  sq  ft. 

Weights:  Single  ply,  85  Ibs;  dbl  ply,  140  Ibs;  asbestos,  170 
Ibs  per  bale. 

REFRIGERATORS: — In  residences  the  best  plan  is  to  order 
refrigerators  with  door  to  feed  the  ice  from  the  outside. 
They  may  be  had  of  all  styles  and  price  from  $40  up. 
AIR  TIGHT  DOORS: — The  Stevenson  door  has  been  installed 
in  thousands  of  cases  for  refrigerators,  smoke  houses,  lime 
houses,  etc. 

Doors  are  of  yp,  no  varnish.  For  2'x7',  about  $23;  for 
4x6,  $26;  if  track  above  as  in  beef  doors  add  $6.  A  4x6  heavy 
special  door  $47.  Lined  on  back  as  well  as  front,  add  $10. 
For  bronze  hardware,  2  hinges,  add  $11.  Galv  hardware  is 
included  in  door  price.  Prices  are  fob  Chester,  Pa. 
UNLOADING: — Given  the  proper  place,  car,  and  facilities, 
we  are  now  assured  that  a  car  can  be  emptied  for  Ic.  Build- 
ing contractors  have  neither  place,  car  nor  facilities  for  this 
kind  of  work. 

To  unload  crushed  stone  from  cars  allow  from  20  to  25c 
per  ton.     More  than  1,000  tons  on  No.  7  and  other  buildings 


356  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

were  unloaded  for  20c.  Equal  quantity  of  sand  cost  lOc. 
But  sand  costs  more  in  winter.  On  some  of  the  cars  for 
No.  2  the  sand  froze  in  such  shape  that  it  cost  twice  as  much 
to  move  it.  At  all  times  bank  sand  is  easier  handled  than 
river  saiid.  The  one  is  worth  5c  per  yd  more  to  handle  than 
the  other.  On  railroad  work  earth  and  ballast  are  dumped 
from  cars  for  10  to  16c.  Loading  of  gravel,  7  yds  for  1  man 
in  10  hours. 

BRICK: — Allow  25c  per  M  to  unload  from  car  and  put  on 
wagon;  loading  at  brickyard  is  worth  from  25  to  40c. 

UNLOADING  SLATE:— See  Chap  XVI. 

LUMBER: — Allow  50c  per  M  for  2"  lumber;  f  is  worth  about 

75c. 

WRECKING: — Each    building   has    its    own    environments — 

only   a  hint   can  be   given.     Allow   for   brick  basement  and 

frame  above,  3c  per  sq  ft  where  everything  is  handy;  twice 

that  price  might  not  be  enough.     For  2   and  3   story  brick 

buildings,  5  to  8c.     If  work  is  laid  in  good  cement  more  time 

is  taken  than  if  old,  lime  mortar  falls  out  of  joints.     On  a 

high  wall  the  cost  of  carefully  taking  down  185,000  brick, 

wall  measure,  was  $450.     Then  the  inside  might  be  full  of 

well  framed  carpentry,  or  might  be  vacant.     For  1  story  brick 

S^  to  4c  ought  to  be  enough  if  there  is  no  basement.     In 

general  the  brick  taken  out  of  old  walls  do  not  more  than  half 

pay  for  wrecking  and  cleaning. 

RAISING  ROOFS: — For  heavy  roofs   about  20  to   30'  from 

ground  allow  8  to  9c  per  sq  ft  of  floor  surf. 

BUILDING   DIRECTORY: — Complete    with    plain   unlettered 

black  cards.     All  quotations  are  fob  Chicago. 

Space  Size  Tiers    Spaces  each  Width-Height 

50  1  11  f  "x26}"— Single  Door $15 . 00 

100  2  50  19i"x26i"— Single  Door 30 . 00 

150  3  50  26 £"x26i"— Single  Door 45 . 00 

200  4  50  381"x26}"— Double  Door 60.00 

300  6  50  53f"x26i"— Double  Door 90 . 00 

75  1  12i"x361"— Single  Door 22.00 

150  2  75  19£"x36F— Single  Door 44  00 

225  3  75  27  i"x36  J"— Single  Door 66 . 00 

300  4  75  39*"x36y— Double  Door 88 . 00 

450  6  75  54|"x361"— Double  Door 132 . 00 


ODDS     AND     ENDS  357 

ELEVATORS:— For  hand  elevator  4x4  to  5x5  with  2,000  Ibs 
capacity,  1  story  building,  erected  complete,  $125  to  $140. 
Allow  $10  additional  for  each  extra  story.  For  8x8,  5,000  Ibs 
capacity,  electric,  with  motor,  1  story,  $1,300  to  $2,000.  Safety 
gates  extra,  about  $35  a  floor. 

For  passenger  to  5  or  6  story  building,  $4,500,  with  shaft, 
doors,  etc,  all  made  ready  for  the  elevator  company.  Less 
would  do  on  some  buildings — and  50%  more  could  be  put  on 
others. 

PUSH  BUTTON  AUTOMATIC,  for  2  stories,  $2,800,  4'x6'. 
GASOLINE  ENGINES:— For  an  approx  price: 

6  HP..  ..$400 

8HP... 450 

10  H  P 500 

32  H  P 1,100 

40  H  P 1,300 

50  H  P 1,550 

BONDS  AND  INSURANCE:— Something  was  said  in  the  in- 
troductory part  about  insurance.  It  is  now  necessary  to  give 
the  cost  of  fire,  accident  insurance,  surety  bonds,  etc.  As- 
soon  as  a  building  is  enclosed  it  may  be  insured  for  the  regu- 
lar rates  and  periods.  An  owner  sometimes  does  this,  and 
the  contractor  finishes  his  work  without  expense  for  insur- 
ance. Sometimes,  again,  insurance  has  to  be  taken  out  as 
payments  are  made  on  the  work,  and  the  owner  puts  this  on 
the  contractor's  shoulders.  Annual  policies  can  be  taken  out 
by  contractors  as  work  goes  along  and  cancelled  at  short 
rates  when  the  job  is  safely  accepted  and  paid  for.  In 
Omaha  the  charge  is  $"1  per  $100  for  1  yr  on  all  kinds  of 
property  for  builders'  risk. 

The  short  rate  scale  is  the  same  as  it  was  15  yrs  ago, 
as  I  find  on  referring  to  an  old  list,  but  the  annual  premium 
is  now  less.  The  rate  is  given  for  about  50  periods — for  our 
purpose  a  few  are  sufficient. 

For  5  days  7%  of  annual  premium. 

For  10  days  10%  of  annual  premium. 

For  15  days  14%  of  annual  premium. 

For  20  days  17%  of  annual  premium. 


358  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For    30  days  20%  of  annual  premium. 

For    40  days  26%  of  annual  premium. 

For    50  days  28%  of  annual  premium. 

For    60  days  30%  of  annual  premium. 

For    70  days  36%  of  annual  premium. 

For    80  days  38%  of  annual  premium. 

For  90  days  or  3  months,  40%  of  annual  premium. 
For  120  days  or  3  months,  50%  of  annual  premium. 
For  150  days  or  3  months,  60%  of  annual  premium. 
For  180  days  or  6  months,  70%  of  annual  premium. 
For  240  days  or  8  months,  80%  of  annual  premium. 

But  the  $1  rate  is  on  basis  of  houses  distant  from  each 
other  at  least  25';  if  between  25  and  15  add  5c  more  for  each 
exposure;  under  15  add.  lOc.  Thus  a  house  under  15  on  2 
sides  would  be  rated  at  an  annual  premium  of  $1.20  per  $100. 

ACCIDENT  INSURANCE:— A  guarantee  is  given  to  protect 
contractor  from  all  damage  suits  and  verdicts  in  return  for 
a  premium  based  upon  wages  paid  during  a  year,  which  is 
usually  taken  as  a  unit.  A  policy  may  be  taken  out  for 
$1,000  or  $100,000  of  wages.  When  the  specified  wages  are 
paid  a  new  policy  has  to  be  taken  out,  as  the  basis  is  for 
an  amount  of  money  and  not  for  a  period.  On  a  small  amount 
like  $5,000,  the  rate  is  about  3$%;  on  a  large  amount,  2$. 

SURETY  BONDS: — For  small  bonds  about  1%  is  charged; 
for  large,  £  of  1%  on  the  amount  of  the  contract.  Thus  on 
a  bond  for  $3,000,  $30  would  be  charged;  on  a  $60,000  con- 
tract, $300.  These  are  the  top  rates  for  the  highest  price 
company.  A  millionaire  can  naturally  get  a  bond  at  a  lower 
rate  than  a  man  with  only  $50  capital.  Formerly  the  pre- 
mium for  the  bond  covered  the  whole  expense  until  the 
building  was  finished  and  accepted;  now  it  is  again  collected 
at  the  end  of  a  year.  A  careful  understanding  as  to  whether 
rate  is  annual,  or  for  an  accepted  building  should  be  seen 
to,  and  a  receipt  taken.  But  if  the  building  is  finished  before 
the  end  of  the  second  yr  a  proportion  of  the  second  pay- 
ment is  returned. 

A  lower  priced  company  furnishes  bonds  for  25c  per  $100 
of  the  contract  price.  This  would  be  $150  on  a  $60,000  con- 
tract. 


ODDS     AND     ENDS  359 

PRICE  BOOK: — Prices  sometimes  change  in  a  week,  and 
estimates  must  change  with  them..  An  alphabetically  in- 
dexed pocket  price  book  is  useful,  as  each  change  of  price 
can  be  entered  under  the  proper  date.  A  book  of  this  kind 
soon  becomes  valuable  and  should  last  for  years.  I  recently 
saw  a  good  one  10  yrs  old.  Under  N  comes  nails,  $2.25  to 
$2.60  as  may  be;  C,  cement,  L,  lime,  etc. 

Cement,  Am  Portland,  $1.50,     6-20-1912. 

Cement,  Am  Portland,  $1.60,     6-18-1913. 

A  card  index  system  is  also  of  great  value. 

POLES: — The  total  number  of  poles,  more  than  20  ft.  long, 
purchased  during  1906  by  telegraph,  telephone,  electric  com- 
panies, etc,  according  to  a  circular  of  the  U.  S.  Forest  Ser- 
vice, was  3,574,666,  valued  at  $9,471,171  at  the  point  of  pur- 
chase. The  average  value  per  pole  at  point  of  purchase  of 
the  principal  kind  of  round  poles  was  as  follows: 

Length— 25ft.  30ft.  35ft.  40ft.  45ft. 

Cedar $1.19  $3.22  $4.94  $6.17  $9.08 

Chestnut 1.42  2.52  3.35  4.64  7.08 

Cypress 1.09  1.24  3.04  4.42  6.28 

Juniper ..,1.62  2.70  3.68  4.09  5.76 

Pine 1.68  3.18  4.84  5.13  12.41 

Oak 1.16  2.11  ....  ....  2.44 

Fir 1.49  2.31  2.72  2.85  4.00 

These  costs  are  "at  the  point  of  purchase,"  without  freight, 
profit  of  retailer,  etc. 

DIGGING:— The  cost  of  digging  600  holes  for  a  trolley  line 
is  given  in  "Engineering-Contracting,"  March,  '08.  The  holes 
ran  from  6'  to  12'  deep,  and  had  to  be  large  enough  for  one 
3'  cross  brace  underground. 

A  comparison  of  the  cost  of  each  group  is  shown  in  the 
following  table,  also  the  average  cost  for  the  entire  job: 

Total  Cost  per  Cost  per  No. 

cost.  hole.  cu.  yd.  poles. 

Group    I     $123.15  $1.50  $0.60  82 

Group     II     .       .  .    106.10  1.21  1.16 


Group  III 
Group  IV 
Group  V 
Average  . 


427.15                       1.33  0.81  320 

49.50                       0.79  1.10  64 

66.00                       0.96  0.72  69 

1.24  0.82 


It  will  be  noticed  that  the  cost  per  hole  varied  directly  with 
the  size  of  the  hole  Adding  to  the  diameter  and  the  depth 
increased  the  cost.  The  cost  per  cubic  yard  was  high  when 
the  hole  was  small  and  low  when  the  hole  was  large. 

CONCRETE  POLES:— For  a  30',  $7.50,  2000  Ibs;  for  a  45', 
$17.50,  unset. 


CHAPTER  XXVI 


HINTS  ON   HOUSE   BUILDING 

This  chapter  and  the  following  one  were  not  written  for  archi- 
tects or  builders,  but  for  their  "  victims,"  and  may  be  passed 
over,  if  desired,  by  those  who  are  well  enough  acquainted 
with  all  the  tricks  of  the  trade.  It  is  not  the  want  of  informa- 
tion that  keeps  us  back — there  are  libraries  with  a  million 
volumes,  and  still  we  lag. 

There  are  only  a  few  hints  given  here  for  plain  people  who 
build  plain  houses.  The  other  kind  can  hire  experts.  There 
are  figures  enough  elsewhere  in  this  book;  these  two  chapters 
are  for  the  aver  man  and  his  wife,  and  are  written  in  a  popu- 
lar way. 

DESIGN 

As  to  general  design  I  prefer  the  plain  gable  roof,  because 
a  fine  attic  is  always  possible,  while  the  roof  that  pitches  to 
the  center  has  too  small  an  enclosed  space  to  be  of  much 
use.  By  pitching  the  roof  to  the  center  the  only  saving  is 
the  gables  for  the  areas  of  the  two  kinds  of  roof  are  practically 
the  same;  and  the  extra  cost  of  a  hip  roof  about  swallows  up 
the  saving  by  leaving  the  gables  off,  so  that  there  is  the  loss 
of  the  attic  space  without  any  real  gain  in  money.  Of  course 
there  is  also  a  loss  of  attic  stair  space  on  the  second  floor 
to  be  considered  with  the  gable  plan. 

Fashions  come  and  go — it  used  to  be  the  "Dutch"  roof, 
now  it  is  the  square  hip  roof,  but  as  the  gable  plane  was 
fashionable  centuries  ago  so  it  will  always  be.  It  is  not  only 
safe,  but  useful.  If  there  is  a  shortage  of  money  the  attic 
need  not  necessarily  be  floored  and  finished  when  the  house 
is  built.  But  it  is  ready  at  any  time  for  an  extra  or  storage 
room. 

As  to  the  bungalow,  now  so  fashionable,  see  Chap  XXVII. 

360 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  361 

BRICK   OR   STONE   VERSUS  WOOD 

I  never  saw  a  wood  house  before  I  reached  the  shores  of 
the  United  States,  and  one  of  the  strangest  and  most  beau- 
tiful panoramas  that  has  never  faded  out  of  my  memory  in 
a  score  of  years,  was  Staten  Island  and  the  white  houses 
stretching  'over  the  land.  They  were  not  only  interesting 
and  strange  in  themselves,  but  had  an  added  charm  because 
I  knew  that  the  "  Yankees  "  lived  in  them. 

The  best  architect  is  he  who  can  put  up  fine  buildings  with 
the  material  at  hand.  In  Greece  he  used  marble,  but  in  the 
Low  Countries  he  was  driven  to  brick;  and  the  development 
of  the  frame  house  in  the  United  States  shows  that  the  plenti- 
ful woods  of  the  forests  can  be  made  attractive  enough  in 
design  and  treatment  to  take  the  place  of  any  material  used 
in  the  older  countries. 

Which  is  best — marble,  stone,  brick,  concrete  or  wood? 
They  are  all  best,  but  it  often  seems  that  the  wood  house 
is  by  far  the  most  attractive,  especially  when  newly  painted. 
The  aver  European  idea  of  a  wood  house  is  a  shelter  of  logs 
with  the  bark  on,  a  hole  in  the  roof  to  let  out  the  smoke,  and  a 
few  pairs  of  wolves'  eyes  glaring  in  the  darkness.  We  know 
that  they  are  a  very  different  character. 

The  danger  in  a  frame  house  is  from  fire,  but  when  a  fire 
breaks  out  the  difference  between  brick  and  wood  is  not  so 
very  great  after  all.  There  is  really  no  good  reason  why 
houses  should  be  built  within  2  ft  of  each  other,  as  is  often 
done.  A  visitor  from  Mars  might  inquire  if  there  was  a  scar- 
city of  land  or  wonder  to  see  one-fourth  of  residence  parts  of  a 
city  lying  vacant.  A  city  law  might  be  made  compelling 
owners  to  leave  10  ft  between  the  nearest  cornices  of  adja- 
cent buildings,  unless  divided  by  a  wall  of  fireproof  construc- 
tion. For  light,  ventilation,  and  consequent  good  health,  as 
well  as  fire  protection,  a  law  of  this  kind  should  be  in  force. 
But  in  Baltimore  and  San  Francisco  we  had  a  lesson  from 
a  fire  that  went  through  all  kinds  of  buildings. 

If  the  workmanship  is  good,  if  the  timbers  are  of  the  right 
size,  and  the  outside  covering  of  the  proper  quality,  a  frame 
house  can  be  built  as  near  perfection,  from  all  standpoints, 
as  any  dwelling  inhabited  by  man.  Of  course,  it  must  not  be 


362  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

forgotten  that  there  is  now  a  new  danger  with  frame  houses 
— that  is  a  quicker  decay.  With  good  wp  and  cypress 
shingles  a  well  built  house  ought  to  last  for  a  century,  with 
proper  care;  but  wp  siding  is  now  scarcely  ever  seen,  and 
cypress  shingles  are  expensive. 

All  joints  where  water  is  apt  to  go  should  be  painted  with 
white  lead  and  oil  when  they  are  put  together;  nailed  to- 
gether when  they  open;  and  the  house  should  be  painted 
every  4  or  5  yrs,  and  so  on.  By  the  time  the  original  extra 
good  work  is  paid  for,  and  $1  to  $1.50  per  month  allowed 
as  a  sure  depreciation  of  painting  on  an  8  roomed  house, 
one  is  apt  to  think  that,  what  with  high  lumber  and  other  con- 
siderations the  era  of  cheap  frame  houses  is  gone  with  the 
age  of  chivalry. 

MOISTURE:— A  brick  house  absorbs  moisture,  but  it  can 
easily  be  protected  by  wood  furring  or  by  the  inside  lining 
of  4"  hollow  tile  that  is  now  becoming  popular.  The  plaster 
is  put  on  the  rough  tile,  without  furring  strips,  and  the  dan- 
ger from  fire  running  behind  the  lath  is  obviated. 

COMPARATIVE  COST: — As  compared  with  frame  a  reason- 
able brick  house  is  about  15%  extra;  but  $12  to  $15  per 
annum  is  saved  on  paint  on  an  8  roomed  house,  and  that  is 
good  interest  on  $200. 

The  choice  of  material  is  largely  a  matter  of  taste,  loca- 
tion, and  purse,  except  in  some  rather  dull  looking  cities 
which  do  not  permit  frame  houses  inside  their  limits.  Of 
course  it  is  reasonable  that  certain  portions  of  a  city  should 
be  protected  from  the  danger  of  fire  traps,  but  frame  houses 
are  an  ornament  to  any  residence  district. 

EXCAVATION 

Digging  a  hole  in  the  ground  does  not  require  much  ex- 
planation— almost  any  one  can  do  that  part  of  a  contract. 
Sometimes  a  house  is  set  upon  posts  to  save  expense,  and  if 
a  cellar  is  afterwards  required,  the  digging  has  to  be  done 
at  a  much  increased  cost. 

PLASTERING: — Cellars  are  often  plastered  with  cement  on 
the  hard  natural  earth.  In  some  soils  this  system  is  satis- 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  363 

factory;  in  others  it  is  merely  a  waste  of  money,  as  the  earth 
crumbles  away  and  leaves  the  broken  surf.  A  lining  of 
brick  is  better  even  for  a  cheap  cellar. 

FOUNDATIONS 

THICKNESS: — On  page  63  the  thickness  of  the  walls  of  a 
1  story  cottage  is  given  at  2'.  This  is  one  extreme;  the  other 
is  9".  Just  about  between  the  two  is  safe.  For  a  basement 
of  more  than  6'  high  the  walls  should  be  13",  or  3  bricks  in 
width.  If  of  stone  they  are  usually  made  16",  as  that  is 
about  as  cheap  as  12".  Concrete  should  not  be  less  than  10". 
A  9"  basement  wall,  even  T  high,  is  safe  enough  if  really 
good  brick  are  used,  and  if  they  are  carefully  laid  in  cement; 
but  very  often  inferior  brick  are  used,  carelessly  laid  in  lime 
mortar,  and  in  the  end  there  is  trouble  that  far  outruns  the 
original  saving.  In  cement  stone  an  8"  or  9"  wall,  7'  is  safe 
enough  also  if  good  work  is  done,  and  if  not  too  deep  in  the 
ground  so  as  to  have  a  heavy  earth  pressure.  A  poor  founda- 
tion is  a  luxury  that  few  can  afford. 

PLASTERING: — The  walls  below  the  ground  should  be  care- 
fully plastered  on  the  outside  with  good  Port  cement  not  less 
than  I"  thick,  in  the  proportion  of  1  cement  to  2,  or  even  3, 
of  sand,  if  the  3  is  not  made  4.  It  is  strange  that  this  simple 
precaution  against  water  going  through  the  wall  is  often 
neglected.  A  trifling  saving  is  made,  but  there  is,  at  least  in 
some  locations,  a  spoiled  wall  to  watch  and  repair.  As  a 
safeguard  of  health,  cellars  or  basements  should  have  cement 
floors,  and  walls  should  be  plastered  on  the  outside  below 
grade.  Port  cement  should  be  used  for  the  \"  top  covering 
in  the  cellar,  but  the  concrete  below  may  be  made  of  natural 
cement,  although  the  other  is  better  all  through.  The  floor 
should  be  made  about  3"  or  4"  thick,  although  2"  can  be  made 
to  serve.  No.  2  has  only  2V'. 

HARD  BRICK: — The  outside  face  brick  ought  to  be  hard.    4 
There  is  no  cure  for  a  soft  brick  in  an  outside  wall  but  re- 
moval, and  this  is  apt  to  be  expensive.    It  is  better  to  be 
careful  at  the  start. 

While,  of  course,  hard  brick  are  to  be  preferred  all  through, 
there  is  not  much  risk  in  a  soft  brick  in  the  center  of  the  wall. 


364  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Unless  of  a  very  inferior  nature  a  practical  bricklayer  would 
just  about  as  soon  as  not  use  a  soft  brick  in  his  own  house, 
when  concealed,  but  with  face  work  it  is  different.  Inside 
as  well  as  outside  it  should  be  of  good  material  with  joints 
struck  neatly  with  the  edge  of  the  trowel,  and  not  with  the 
flat  in  a  plasterer's  fashion. 

PORCH  PIERS: — Porch  piers  should  not  be  less  than 
12"xl2";  for  good  porches  they  should  be  17x17. 

KIND  OF  MATERIAL: — A  first  class  foundation  can  be  made 
of  stone,  brick,  concrete,  or  the  artificial  stone  now  becom- 
ing so  popular.  The  chief  danger  is  poor  workmanship,  and 
too  much  sand. 

PRESSED  BRICK: — Many  people  prefer  pressed  brick  for 
the  outside  walls.  There  are  beautiful  shades  on  the  market, 
and  it  is  a  pleasure  to  look  at  a  fine  front,  but  first  class 
work  can  be  made  with  good,  common,  hard  brick.  Europe 
has  brick  buildings  hundreds  of  yrs  old,  of  good,  plain  ma- 
terial and  they  are  among  the  most  beautiful  specimens  of 
the  brickmaivs  art.  Some  of  the  American  architects  are 
getting  back  to  the  old  style,  the  indispensable  condition  of 
successful  work  being  brick  made  of  good  clay,  well  burnt 
and  shapely. 

Many  fine  pressed  brick  fronts  are  spoiled  after  a  rain 
storm  by  the  alkali  coming  out;  there  is  no  danger  of  this 
with  common  brick,  so  that  all  things  considered,  no  one 
should  be  depressed  by  the  fact  that  purse  or  locality  forbid 
the  more  stylish  article. 

SIDEWALKS: — It  is  best  to  put  down  permanent  walks  at 
first,  and  save  trouble  afterwards.  Wood  begins  to  rot  as 
soon  as  laid.  If  it  is  used  the  stringers  should  be  of  wp. 
Yp  rots  in  a  very  short  time. 

Cement  or  brick  pays  in  the  long  run.  (See  pages  18,  21, 
90,  110;  for  prices  of  plank  and  permanent  sidewalks.) 
CHIMNEYS: — Hard  brick  should  be  used  for  all  exposed 
work,  and  more  especially  above  the  roof.  To  repair  a  chim- 
ney above  the  roof  is  rather  expensive,  as  a  scaffold  is  re- 
quired. Why  not  make  it  of  first  class  labor  and  material 
and  be  done  with  it  for  20  yrs?  A  stone  or  iron  cap  should 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  365 

be  put  on,  as  the  brick  loosen  at  the  top  if  left  unprotected; 
or  a  heavy  coat  of  good  Port  cement  may  be  used.  It  is  bet- 
ter to  lay  all  the  chimney  brick  above-  the  roof  in  Port 
cement,  and  to  make  no  projecting  courses. 
FIRES: — A  startingly  large  proportion  of  fires  are  due  to 
deflective  flues.  In  most  cities  now,  tile  linings  inside  of  the 
brick  are  obligatory.  If  they  are  not  used  the  joints  should 
be  struck  on  the  inside  and  all  the  surf  afterwards  plastered. 
In  time  the  plaster  burns  out,  and  the  fire  gets  through  to 
the  woodwork,  Carpenters  should  not  be  allowed  to  drive 
plugs  of  wood  into  chimneys. 

A  chimney  should  be  as  straight  as  possible,  and  be  car- 
ried up  above  the  highest  point  of  the  roof  to  draw  well. 

ROOMS: — Make  them  as  large  as  you  can,  but  not  too  large 
either.  Why  heat  useless  space?  "A  little  house  well  filled, 
a  little  farm  well  tilled."  In  most  houses  with  stoves  only  one 
room  is  really  well  heated  in  winter.  The  one  selected  should 
be  made  the  largest. 

As  a  rule,  make  the  second  story  rooms  full  height.  There 
is  not  much  economy  in  half  story  rooms  with  a  part  of  the 
slope  of  the  roof  used,  and  they  are  hot  in  summer. 

I  have  followed  this  method  of  construction  several  times 
and  regretted  it.  Rather  than  do  so  for  a  home  one  should 
leave  off  all  the  lath,  plaster,  and  finish  on  the  full  height  top 
story,  and  wait  until  money  enough  was  at  hand  to  finish 
a  house  that  would  always  please  and  not  sometimes  provoke. 
Of  course,  some  have  to  be  content  with  this  construction, 
but  it  is  not  desirable. 

DORMER  WINDOWS: — The  half  story  house  often  make 
them  necessary.  If  there  is  any  place  that  requires  care  it 
is  a  dormer  window.  If  they  once  begin  to  leak  there  often 
seems  to  be  no  cure  but  tearing  down  to  find  the  trouble. 
The  best  tin,  the  best  workmanship,  the  best  paint  are  neces- 
say.  See  page  29  for  cost. 

CLOSETS: —In  spite  of  the  newspaper  jokes,  neither  archi- 
tect nor  contractor  delights  in  small  closets.  There  are,  of 
course,  some  who  waste  money  enough  on  useless  ornamenta- 
tion to  give  plenty  of  closet  space,  but  in  general  small 


366  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

closets  are  due  to  small  pocket  books.  Many,  in  fact,  most, 
women  do  not  have  any  idea  of  sizes  when  marked  on  a 
plan,  and  are  disappointed  when  the  house  is  built.  It  often 
seems  that  a  good  idea  would  be  to  have  a  covered  enclosure 
in  a  city  where  for  a  small  fee  2"x4"  plates  would  be  laid 
down  and  moved  to  suit  the  actual  sizes  wanted.  It  is  easy 
enough  to  make  rooms  and  closets  of  any  required  size  if 
the  cost  is  not  limited,  but  it  is  hard  to  supply  a  No.  1  article 
at  a  No.  4  price. 

CEILINGS:— Some  are  made  11'  high,  others  9'.  For  the  first 
floor  9'  6"  is  the  lowest  height  that  ought  to  be  used,  and 
10'  0"  makes  a  better  house.  For  the  second  floor  9'  0"  is 
low  enough,  but  8'  6"  is  sometimes  used.  These  heights  are 
between  finished  floor  and  plaster.  Allow  for  sheeting,  if  put 
on,  top  floor,  and  plaster,  or  3"  altogether. 

WOOD  FRAMING 

SILLS: — Some  prefer  a  solid  sill  laid  on  the  basement  walls, 
and  others  use  a  "  box  "  sill  of  2  planks,  the  one  flat,  and  the 
other  of  the  same  width  as  the  joists  standing  on  edge  on 
top  of  it,  and  flush  with  the  studs,  which  are  set  on  a  plate 
of  their  own  width  nailed  to  the  planks.  I  like  the  box  sill 
as  the  full  strength  of  the  joist  is  insured,  but  some  cities 
make  the  solid  sill  obligatory. 

When  a  solid  sill  is  used  a  notch  has  to  be  made  for  the 
joists  which  are  then  cut  to  fit.  Usually  they  are  cut  about 
half  way  up,  and  the  whole  bearing  comes  on  the  upper  half, 
while  the  lower  is  left  to  swing  free  instead  of  being  blocked 
up  on  the  foundation.  We  know  that  a  good  carpenter  does 
not  do  such  work — we  also  know  that  in  half  the  houses 
built  the  joists  have  their  throats  cut  in  just  this  fashion. 

Sills  are  sometimes  6x6  or  6x8  for  ordinary  houses.  The 
joists  are  put  flush  at  bottom  line,  and  stand  up  above  the 
sill.  A  piece  should  be  nailed  on  top  of  the  sill  and  even 
with  the  top  of  the  joist,  so  that  the  floor  would  close  the 
space  to  keep  back  cold  air,  fire,  or  mice. 

GIRDERS: — Many  cottages  are  spoiled  for  want  of  a  central 
girder  with  posts  set  on  wide  foundations  to  support  the 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  367 

joists.  When  the  weight  of  the  plaster  is  put  on  the  floors 
begin  to  sag. 

JOISTS:— The  joists  should  be  2xlO's  well  bridged;  2x8's  are 
strong  enough  if  the  span  is  not  too  great.  Even  for  an 
attic  floor  not  less  than  2x8's  should  be  used.  The  saving 
in  using  2x6's  is  not  very  much,  and  if  the  span  is  wide  the 
floor  is  spoiled  and  the  plaster  below  cracks.  On  a  1-story 
cottage  22'x40'  the  difference  in  cost  in  2"  of  width  is  only 
about  $12,  for  joists  set  16"  centers.  Why  spoil  a  house  for 
$12?  All  floor  joists  should  be  bridged  when  the  span  is 
more  than  8'.  Below  partitions,  joists  should  be  doubled,  or 
2x4's  spiked  in  between  the  2  bearing  joists. 

WALLS  AND  PARTITIONS:— The  walls  of  the  aver  house- 
are  usually  built  of  2x4's  set  16"  centers;  2x6's-  are  better, 
unless  for  small  cottages,  as,  after  surfacing,  the  2x4's  are 
only  I|"x3f".  Rough  lumber  costs  about  $1  per  M  more, 
owing  to  freight.  All  window  and  door  openings  should  have 
dbl  studs.  All  corners  and  doors  should  have  nailing  blocks- 
for  base,  as  there  is  no  nailing  on  the  stud  after  the  thick- 
ness of  the  plaster  is  deducted,  in  the  corner,  and  after  the 
door  casing  is  put  on.  A  2"  thick  fire  stop  should  be  cut  in 
behind  the  ribbon  strip,  between  stories.  There  is  a  good 
deal  of  difference  between  a  well  built  house  and  one  of  the 
other  kind. 

HEATING: — For  furnace  heating  pipes  all  partition  studs  on 
first  floor  should  be  2x6's. 

RAFTERS: — In  some  cheap  houses  the  rafters  are  set  at  2' 
centers— they  should  not  be  set  more  than  20"  in  any  house; 
and  16"  or  even  12"  is  often  used  for  long  spans,  slate  or 
tile  roofs,  etc.  For  cottages,  2x4's  are  large  enough,  but  2x6's 
should  be  used  for  a  really  good  house.  Too  many  carpenters 
neglect  to  brace  and  tie  ceiling  joists  and  rafters  together, 
and  the  roof  sags.  Many  roofs  are  spoiled  before  the  car- 
penter has  time  to  finish  his  contract,  for  want  of  a  little 
care  and  a  slight  expense. 

PITCH:— The  least  pitch  of  a  shingle  roof  should  be  $.  A 
pitch  of  4  is  better,  especially  if  attic  is  to  be  used.  (See 
page  174.)  For  a  gravel  roof  1"  rise  to  12"  is  enough. 


368  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

BOARDS: — Roof  covering  is  best  laid  close  in  cold  climates, 
but  it  is  sometimes  kept  about  2"  apart  to  save  lumber. 
SHINGLES: — The  best  on  the  market  should  be  used.  There 
are  many  places  to  economize,  but  the  roof  covering  is  not 
one.  I  have  a  cottage  with  cypress  shingles  put  on  about  19 
yrs  ago.  They  have  never  been  repaired,  and  are  still  in  fair 
condition.  Exactly  6  yrs  ago,  I  shingled  another  cottage  with 
a  second  grade  quality  of  white  pine  shingles.  They  are 
already  loose,  the  nails  are  rusted,  the  nail  holes  worn,  and 
in  about  a  couple  of  yrs  a  new  roof  covering  will  be  required. 
That  is  a  practical  illustration  of  quality.  As  the  labor  on 
a  poor  shingle  is  often  more  than  on  the  best,  the  advantage 
of  putting  on  the  best  is  easily  seen.  Galv  nails  should  be 
used,  as  they  do  not  rust  like  the  common  kind.  Shingles 
should  not  be  laid  more  than  4$"  to  the  weather,  unless  on  a 
very  steep  roof.  Even  on  that,  5"  is  the  limit.  Cypress 
•comes  first,  then  redwood,  then  cedar.  One  table  gives  the 
life  thus: 

Spruce 5  to    7  yrs 

Cedar    12  to  15  yps 

Sawed  pine    16  to  20  yrs 

Cypress 30  to  50  yrs 

The  asbestos  shingles  described  under  "  Fireproofing "  are 
•called  "  Century "  also,  because,  according  to  the  makers, 
they  are  to  last  100  yrs. 

There  are  some  excellent  stains  on  the  market,  and  it 
pays  to  dip  the  shingles.  For  the  cost  se.e  pages  269,  270. 
If  stain  is  not  at  hand  linseed  oil  may  be  used,  as  it  is  a 
good  preservative.  Common  paint  is  not  desirable ,  as  it 
glazes  over  the  the  surf  and  ends,  catches  water,  and  induces 
dry  rot,  while  the  oil  or  stains  go  into  the  pores.  Some 
roof  paints  are  rather  suspicious.  Good  linseed  oil,  the  base, 
costs  50c  to  60c  per  gall — how  can  paint  be  sold  for  40  to 
"50c  if  the  requisite  proportion  of  oil  is  used? 
BOARDING: — Either  common  boards,  shiplap,  or  flooring 
-will  do  for  the  outside  covering.  Usually  the  boards  are 
mailed  on  horizontally,  but  sometimes  on  an  angle  of  45°. 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  369- 

Waste  and  labor  are  greater,  but  the  framework  is  better 
braced  with  angle  boarding.  Sometimes,  again,  men  without 
a  conscience  nail  the  siding  directly  on  the  studs;  in  buy- 
ing a  house  built  in  a  boom  town  it  is  advisable  to  see  that 
there  is  sheathing  between  the  siding  and  the  framework. 
Paper  must  be  used  between  boards  and  siding. 

BASE  AND  CORNER  BOARDS: — Good  houses  have  a  board 
around  them  at  level  of  foundation.  The  sheeting  should  be 
flush  with  the  masonry,  and  the  base  board  set  down  about 
an  inch  to  cover  the  joint.  The  water  table  is  nailed  on  top- 
to  receive  the  siding.  Corner  boards  and  frame  casings 
should  be  !£"  thick.  Sometimes  the  base  board  is  not  used, 
but  the  siding  is  put  clear  down.  As  a  picture  looks  best 
inside  of  a  frame,  so  does  a  house  inside  of  a  border. 

SIDING: — White  pine  siding  is  the  best,  but  it  is  not  so  com- 
mon now  as  formerly.  A  good  substitute  is  California  redwood 
or  cypress.  Siding  looks  well  when  mitered  at  the  corners, 
but  costs  more  than  if  corner  boards  are  used.  But  unless 
the  lumber  is  dry  the  corner  board  shrinks,  and  a  bad  joint 
is  tfie  result,  clear  from  base  to  roof.  With  mitred  siding 
the  danger  is  that  all  the  joints  will  open  in  time. 

Either  6"  or  4"  siding  is  standard,  but  the  narrow  kind  is 
now  used  on  the  best  houses.  It  costs  more  than  the  wide.. 
(See  Siding  in  Index.) 

Sometimes  the  sides  of  a  house  are  shingled.  I  do  not  like 
the  style,  but  it  is  a  matter  of  choice.  Gables,  bay  windows, 
bands,  etc,  look  well  when  treated  in  this  way,  but  an  entire- 
house  covered  with  shingles  is  rather  monotonous. 

PORCHES: — Do  not  make  the  posts  too  large  for  a  cottage. 
In  former  yrs  they  used  to  be  about  4"x4" — now  they  are  12" 
in  diam.  A  4  room  cottage  is  not  a  Greek  temple.  Why  put 
up  such  disproportionate  cols  for  a  little  porch?  Is  there 
no  fair  medium  between  the  spindle  and  the  "  monolith  "  ? 

The  ordinary  porch  of  a  dozen  yrs  ago  was  spoiled  bjr 
being  made  too  narrow.  The  minimum  width  from  house 
to  outside  edge  or  floor  should  be  6':  6"  of  that,  at  least, 
are  lost  by  posts  and  railing.  The  wide  veranda  is  becoming: 
popular:  10'  is  now  common;  8'  is  about  right. 


370  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

TOWERS:— There  is  a  difference  between  a  cottage  and  a 
castle.  Each  may  be  a  beauty,  but  what  fits  one  may  be 
out  of  place  on  the  other.  Be  sparing  of  towers,  drawbridges, 
moats  and  battlements  on  an  ordinary  house.  After  all, 
plain  Mose  Smith  is  a  far  better  neighbor  than  Sir  Brian  de 
Bois  Guilbert  would  be. 

THE  LINE  OF  BEAUTY: — For  outside  work  in  general, 
an  architect  of  experience  will  not  use  much  fancy  scroll 
cut  material,  brackets,  ridges,  circles,  curves,  etc..  The  ama- 
teur and  the  country  carpenter  delight  in  that  kind  of  dis- 
play, but  the  owner  of  the  house  has  to  pay  the  bill  in  a  very 
few  yrs  when  the  sun  and  rain  do  their  work.  Just  as  with 
marble,  stone,  brick  or  wood  houses,  the  architects  of  all 
countries  in  the  yrs  behind  us  have  had  to  adapt  themselves 
to  the  materials  at  hand,  and  local  environments,  so  their 
brothers  of  America  might  just  as  well  accept  the  July  sun 
as  an  established  fact  and  stop  fighting  it.  The  contest  is 
too  unequal. 

There  is  a  difference  between  the  simple,  beautiful,  square 
house  with  the  plain  roof,  and  the  one  we  built  when  Queen 
Anne  was  the  reigning  monarch.  The  bills  for  repairs  have 
been  coming  since  then. 

WINDOWS: — In  many  ways  the  little  details  of  American 
houses  are  more  convenient  than  those  of  European  ones — 
but  rattling  sash  are  unknown  in  Europe,  while  they  are 
everywhere  here,  and  they  are  anything  but  a  blessing. 
The  trouble  is  with  the  outer  sash.  It  is  made  to  fit  easy, 
and  it  fits  loose.  As  the  blind  stop  and  the  parting  strip 
between  which  it  slides  can  not  be  moved  the  rattling  comes 
as  soon  as  the  wind  rises.  If  the  meeting  rail  were  left 
wide  enough  to  plane,  and  fitted  hard  against  the  one  on  the 
inner  sash,  the  pressure  would  prevent  rattling  there  espe- 
cially after  the  lock  was  in  place;  but  machine  made  stuff 
must  be  ready  to  slide  without  planing  and  there  is  no  mar- 
gin for  a  proper  fit. 

The  inner  sash  can  easily  be  fixed  right,  as  the  stop  can 
be  moved  in  to  suit.  Stops  should  be  screwed  on,  but  they 
are  usually  nailed  in  ordinary  houses. 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  371 

FLY  SCREENS: — They  are  most  serviceable  when  they 
cover  the  entire  window  on  the  outside,  as  both  sash  can 
then  be  moved,  but  they  cost  more  than  half  screens  and  rot 
sooner  owing  to  exposure  to  the  weather.  Outside  blinds 
can  not  be  used  with  full  screens. 

BLINDS: — Neither  outside  nor  inside  blinds  are  so  popular 
as  they  once  were,  especially  for  good  houses.  Heavier  glass, 
sometimes  plate,  is  used,  and  the  danger  of  breaking  from 
hail  is  ended.  But,  of  course,  the  New  York  ruralists  will 
cling  to  them  for  ages  yet.  As  salt  goes  with  egg,  corned 
beef  with  cabbage,  and  butter  with  bread,  so  with  them, 
green  blinds  go  with  white  houses,  one  and  inseparable  now 
and  for  evermore.  They  are  truly  rural. 
GROUNDS: — To  keep  the  plaster  straight  it  is  better  to  use 
grounds  all  over  the  house.  There  are  from  f"  to  I"  thick 
x  2"  wide,  planed  smooth  on  one  side,  and  are  nailed  around 
all  openings,  and  under  base,  wainscoting,  etc.  In  cheaper 
houses  the  window  frames  and  finished  door  frames  are  used, 
so  that  the  expense  of  grounds  may  be  saved.  (See  pages 
164,  177.)  But  the  plaster  stains  the  wood,  and  if  natural  finish 
is  used  instead  of  paint  the  blemish  is  always  seen.  If 
grounds  are  not  put  around  window  openings  care  should  be 
taken  to  keep  lath  clear  of  the  frame  which  is  often  pushed 
in  far  past  the  straight  line. 

Grounds  may  be  left  off  under  base  if  the  plasterer  is  care- 
ful with  his  work.  But  if  they  are  not  used  the  position 
of  the  studs  should  be  marked  on  the  floor  before  the  plaster- 
ing is  done,  so  that  the  base  may  be  nailed  solidly,  and 
not  merely  to  the  lath. 


FINISH 

FLOORS: — Yellow  pine  flooring  is  not  well  adapted  for  out- 
side work,  at  least  north  of  Mason  and  Dixon's  line.  When 
laid  near  the  ground  it  rots  in  a  few  years.  Wp  is  the  best; 
Oregon  fir  is  a  fair  substitute. 

UNDER  FLOORS: — If  the  expense  is  not  too  much,  under 
floors  of  sheeting,  shiplap,  or  cheap  flooring  should  be  put 
down  all  over  the  house.  The  plastering  is  then  done  before 


372  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

the  finish  floor  is  laid.  On  the  first  floor,  at  least,  an  under 
floor  should  be  put  down,  and  after  the  plastering  is  finished, 
building  paper  and  the  finish  floor.  It  is  better  laid  on  an 
angle  of  45°,  not  merely  for  bracing,  but  because  of  a  more 
equal  surf  than  when  the  boards  run  parallel  with  the  top 
floor.  The  inequalities  of  the  under  floor  are  not  then  repro- 
duced on  the  upper  one. 

OAK  FLOORS: — The  new  and  better  style  is  to  use  rugs 
instead  of  carpets,  and  good  floors,  or  at  least,  good  borders 
are  necessary  for  them.  Good  oak  floors  cost  money.  (See 
page  22.)  But  if  |"  material  is  used  a  hardwood  border 
only  may  be  put  down,  and  the  center  of  the  room  filled  in 
with  ordinary  flooring.  There  is  no  real  necessity  of  cover- 
ing the  whole  floor  with  hardwood,  but  it  is,  of  course,  better 
to  do  so.  The  thin  material  may  be  treated  in  the  same  way, 
but  special  flooring  is  required  for  the  center,  while  any  lum- 
ber yard  carries  |"  material. 

When  laid  after  plastering,  and  well  smoothed  and  var- 
nished, good  yp  makes  a  beautiful  floor,  as  fine  a  floor,  indeed, 
as  the  aver  man  could  desire.  'Tis  the  aver  woman  who 
sighs  for  the  other. 

TWO  KINDS: — Quarter  sawed  or  "rift"  sawed,  yp  is 
by  far  the  best  material.  There  are  several  grades 
of  this.  The  common  flat  sawed  flooring  becomes 
in  time  a  source  of  trouble  with  slivers.  There  are 
several  grades  of  this  common  stock.  The  difference 
between  edge  grain,  or  q  s,  and  the  common  No.  1 
in  a  house  22'x40'  is  about  $13  per  story.  If  the  q  s 
is  not  used  for  the  main  part  it  should  certainly  be  used  for 
the  kitchen,  as  there  is  no  possibility  of  slivers  arising  from 
the  edge  grain,  owing  to  the  way  the  tree  is  sawed  at  the 
mill.  The  old  flat  grain  is  never  used  in  a  good  house  now. 
WIDTH: — Flooring  should  not  be  wider  than  4",  or  3|"  face, 
except  for  an  attic  store  room.  Narrower  than  that  is  bet- 
ter, but  more  expensive.  Care  should  be  taken  to  prevent 
the  use  of  too  many  short  lengths.  (See  page  352.) 
MAPLE: — Narrow  maple  really  makes  the  best  kitchen  floor, 
but  it  costs  money  to  put  it  down.  (See  page  22.)  Sq 
edged  is  not  adapted  for  houses. 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  373 

OAK: — Oak  floors  are  used  in  the  front  rooms.  They  are 
even  more  expensive  than  maple,  and  require  to  be  carefully 
laid.  They  ought  to  be  q  s  to  look  well.  The  £"  are  best, 
but  the  thin  floor  is  often  used.  (See  pages  22,  162.)  White 
and  red  oak  are  used.  White  is  harder  and  better  than  red — 
and  costs  more.  Plain  red  oak  floors  are  really  good  enough 
for  most  purses. 

DAMP: — It  is  a  mistake  to  lay  floors  too  soon,  unless  in  sum- 
mer when  the  plaster  soon  dries.  Neither  architect  nor  con- 
tractor is  to  blame  for  dampness  in  a  new  house,  as  natural 
conditions  can  not  be  forced;  but  kiln  dried  flooring,  doors, 
etc,  immediately  begin  to  swell  when  put  in  the  building. 
The  doors  have  to  be  stripped  until  they  will  close,  and  when 
they  dry  they  are  too  narrow  to  look  well.  The  floors  shrink 
until  they  are  spoiled.  We  are  a  very  illustrious  people  here, 
as  it  were,  but  we  have  acquired  the  unfortunate  habit  of 
planting  a  bush  at  night  and  going  out  to  pluck  a  rose  next 
morning. 

Usually  bath  room  floors  are  of  tile,  and  also  the  base. 
JOINTS: — 111  trained  carpenters  often  make  the  joints  of 
a  floor  all  clustered  together,  owing  to  the  length  of  boards, 
when  they  might  as  well  be  distributed;  and  they  join  mem- 
bers of  base,  cornice,  etc,  within  too  short  a  distance, 
thus  spoiling  the  look  of  the  finished  work  and  weakening 
its  strength. 

STAIRS: — Make  sq  platforms,  unless  winders  can  not  be 
avoided.  See  that  steps  and  risers  are  grooved  together 
and  blocks  glued  in  behind,  or  the  stair  will  soon  creak.  Try 
to  so  arrange  a  plan,  for  even  a  cheap  house,  that  there  is 
a  separate  entrance  to  the  kitchen  from  the  stairway.  This 
is  often  done  by  making  one  stair  serve  from  the  second 
floor  to  the  first  landing,  but  running  two  flights  from  there 
down  to  first  floor,  one  to  the  back,  another  to  the  front  part 
of  the  house.  But  there  should  always  be  a  straight  passage 
from  the  kitchen  to  the  front  door  without  going  over  steps, 
and  this  should  be  at  side  of  stair  so  that  the  main  rooms 
need  not  be  used. 

DOORS: — Narrow  doors  are  a  source  of  much  trouble.  Front, 
kitchen  and  cellar  doors  should  not  be  less  than  3'  0" 


374.  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

wide;  main  room,  2'  10";  bed  room,  2'  8";  closet,  2'  4".  A 
closet  door  may  be  6'  0"  high  when  below  a  stair,  etc,  but 
6'  8"  is  the  least  desirable  height  for  any  door,  and  7'  0"  is 
better.  Doors  ought  to  be  on  a  level  if  possible.  Transoms 
give  light  and  ventilation  to  halls.  Some  do  not  like  them. 
CASINGS  AND  BASE:— Finish  of  all  kinds  is  easiest  treated 
when  plain.  The  Japanese,  among  their  other  eminent  quali- 
fications, have  the  knack  of  living  in  simple  houses  with 
simple  furniture.  We  fill  houses  full  of  hard  work,  and  scrub 
and  fight  and  worry  over  useless  mouldings,  useless  furni- 
ture, useless  stair  ornamentation,  grilles  like  Chinese  puzzles, 
and  a  score  of  other  useless  dust  collectors.  It  is  done  to 
please  "  flub-dub "  architects  who  talk  of  "  Louis  Quatorze, 
Quinze,  Seize,"  or  some  other  man  or  woman  with  a  thou- 
sand servants. 

OPEN  PLUMBING: — Why  were  we  so  slow  in  discovering 
open  plumbing?  It  seems  strange  that  we  should  have  used 
tEe  old  kind  so  long.  Our  descendants  will  say,  "Why  were 
they  so  long  in  discovering  simplicity  of  style  in  houses  and 
furniture?  Why  did  they  keep  their  shoulders  below  use- 
less loads?"  Here,  we  are  at  least  further  advanced  in  tfie 
right  direction  than  the  British  and  Germans.  They  box 
everything,  and  make  their  furniture  heavy  enough  to  last 
for  a  thousand  years. 

VENTILATION: — The  under  side  of  the  casings  of  a  window 
should  be  within  6"  of  the  ceiling,  if  we  are  to  believe  the 
sanitarians.  This  gives  good  ventilation,  but  spoils  ttie 
border  for  paper  and  picture  mould.  Each  builder  must  decide 
for  herself  whether  esthetics  or  health  is  to  have  first  place. 
HEAT: — If  house  is  to  be  heated  by  furnace,  steam  or  hot 
water,  be  sure  to  let  door  jambs  and  plinth  blocks,  or  casings, 
run  clear  down  to  the  under  floor,  so  that  when  the  wood 
joists  shrink  the  jambs  will  still  be  covered.  On  flats  I 
put  up  in  1907  the  joists  shrunk  nearly  £"  in  some  places, 
but  the  jambs  had  been  let  down,  so  that  no  harm  was  done. 
On  one  large  apartment  house  I  know  of,  pieces  had  to  be  glued 
in  below  jambs,  blocks,  and  base.  The  small  moulding  at 
floor  on  base  can  usually  be  left  unchanged  if  it  has  been 
nailed  to  the  floor  and  not  to  the  base. 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  375 

WAINSCOTING: — The  walls  of  kitchens  and  bath  rooms  are 
seldom  wainscoted  now.  They  are  either  plastered  with 
hard  plaster  or  tiled.  This  style  of  finish  is  much  better. 
Of  course,  paneled  wainscoting  is  still  used  in  fine  houses. 

Dining  rooms  look  well  with  paneled  wainscoting.  It  gives 
a  kind  of  a  "  baronial "  flavor  to  the  ordinary  house,  but  it 
costs  a  good  deal.  (See  Index.)  A  plate  rail  may  be 
used  if  wainscoting  is  too  expensive. 

WOODS: — There  are  a  score  of  woods  to  choose  from.  Wp — 
or  yp  as  we  used  to  called  it  on  the  other  side,  our  yp  being 
know  as  "pitch "  pine — is  better  for  paint  and  better  than 
yp  even  for  oil  finish.  The  best  grades  are  now  so  expensive, 
however,  that  some  millmen  would  just  as  soon  supply  red 
oak,  which,  of  course,  requires  more  labor  to  put  in  place. 
The  usual  fashion  for  a  house  costing  from  $1,800  up,  is  to 
finish  the  main  rooms  on  the  first  floor  in  oak,  or  some  other 
hardwood,  and  make  yp,  cypress  or  a  cheap  wood  serve  for 
the  kitchen  and  upstairs.  White  oak  is  more  expensive  than 
red;  q  s  than  plain,  but  the  difference  is  seen  in  the  finished 
work. 

GLASS: — Beveled  plate  looks  well,  but  again  we  come  to  the 
old  trouble — it  costs  more  than  common  plate.     Plate  glass 
is  far  superior  to  common  glass,  AA,  common  to  A,  and  A  to 
B.  Dbl  thick  is  naturally  stronger  than  single.  (See  page  205.) 
When  good  plate  is  put  in  it  can  scarcely  be  seen,  if  well 
cleaned.     There  are  two  qualities  of  plate. 
BENT  GLASS: — In  general,  it  is  a  mistake  to  use  circular 
or  bent  glass.     If  a  light  gets  broken  it  is  often  necessary  to 
wait  for  weeks  before  another  comes  from  the  factory,  and 
the  price  is  several  times  as  much  as  for  straight. 
BEDDING:— The  best  work  is  bedded  with  putty  before  the 
glass  is  laid  in  the  rabbet,  then  small  galv  angular  brads,  or 
points,  are  pressed  in  to  hold  the  light  in  place.     Common: 
work,  mill  glazed,  is  often  left  without  back  putty. 

TIN 

GUTTERS: — Some  prefer  gutters  built  up  on  the  roof  rather 
than  those  which  hang  at  the  eave.  The  roof  gutter  looks 


376  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

a,  little  better,  but  costs  more.  Other  gutters  are  concealed 
inside  of  the  cornice,  clear  of  the  walls,  just  as  the  hanging 
ones  are,  so  that  there  is  no  danger  of  water  going  through 
the  boarding  if  a  leak  takes  place.  The  roof  gutter  should 
also  be  clear  of  the  main  wall. 

DOWNSPOUTS:— All  downspouts  should  be  connected  to 
sewer  or  if  there  is  no  sewer,  some  means  should  be  taken 
to  lead  the  water  away  from  foundation.  They  should  be 
made  of  I  X  or  galv  iron. 

QUALITY: — It  it  cheapest  in  the  end  to  use  the  best  tin,  but 
even  if  the  poorest  material  is  used,  with  a  hanging  gutter 
there  is  no  trouble  in  putting  on  a  new  one.  It  is  otherwise 
with  those  that  are  built  up.  The  tin  goes  under  the  shingles, 
and  several  courses  have  sometimes  to  be  taken  up  where 
repairs  become  necessary,  and  the  expense  is  considerable. 
The  best  material  should  be  used  when  running  under 
shingles,  and  it  snould  be  painted  two  coats  of  mineral  paint 
on  the  under  side  before  being  laid,  to  prevent  rust,  and 
two  coats  on  the  upper  also  when  in  place. 
VALLEYS: — In  valleys,  especially,  where  two  roofs  meet,  the 
one  plane  running  north  and  the  other  east,  for  example,  see 
that  the  best  quality  of  tin  is  put  down  regardless  of  the  cost. 
Economize  on  something  else  than  tin  in  such  a  place,  for  if 
poor  material  is  used  and  the  shingles —  all  cut  to  an  angle 
at  the  bottom — have  to  be  lifted  on  both  sides  to  get  the 
new  tin  under,  repairs  are  unusually  expensive.  The  old 
proverb  of  penny  wise,  pound  foolish  applies  here. 

The  difference,. then,  is  clearly  seen:  one  may  use  poor  tin 
for  Hanging  gutters,  or  they  may  be  left  off  altogether,  for 
that  matter,  but  flashing  around  chimneys,  dormers,  valleys, 
tin  shingles  on  corners,  and  such  work  as  can  not  be  easily 
repaired  without  tearing  up  the  roof  should  be  of  the  best 
material  carefully  painted. 

BRANDS: — Some  of  the  best  brands  of  tin  are  Taylor's  Old 
Style,  M.  F.,  and  Merchants  Old  Method.  These  brands  are 
stamped  in  the  sheet.  I  X  of  the  various  brands  should 
be  used  for  valley  linings.  It  is  the  tinning  and  not  the  iron 
that  makes  for  durability,  but  where  rough  usage  is  expected 
the  stiffer  brand  should  be  used. 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  377 

Galv  iron  is  now  often  substituted  for  tin,  and  it  is  bet- 
ter than  the  cheap  brands,  but  not  so  good  as  the  ones  men- 
tioned above.  (For  prices,  see  Chap  XV.) 

SIDING,  ETC:— Pressed  brick  siding,  rock  faced  siding,  tin 
shingles  over  entire  roof,  and  such  devices  to  imitate  better 
material,  are  seldom  seen  in  cities,  but  are  much  admired  by 
those  whom  the  New  York  Sun — "  The  Impartial  Shiner  " — 
calls  "  the  ruralists." 

LATH   AND   PLASTER 

LATH: — Metal  lath  is  the  best,  but  it  is  more  expensive  than 
wp,  the  next  best.  It  is  seldom  used  for  ordinary  dwellings, 
but  both  for  clinching  the  mortar  and  for  fire  protection  it 
is  superior  to  wood.  But  for  metal  the  joists  or  strips,  espe- 
cially on  ceilings,  should  not  be  more  than  12"  centers,  as  it 
sags  at  a  wider  distance  When  joists  are  wider  they  are 
usually  furred  with  Ix2's. 

For  wood  the  joints  are  broken  every  15"  or  so  to  keep  the 
plaster  from  cracking  in  a  straight  line  from  iloor  to  ceiling. 
Outside  brick  walls  are  now  often  lined  with  4"  hollow  brick 
which  take  the  place  of  the  inside  course  and  make  the  use 
of  wood  strips  unnecessary. 

In  Scotland  split  lath  is  used  almost  exclusively,  and  it  ia 
much  better  than  the  sawn  lath,  as  the  surf  is  necessarily 
straight  grained  and  not  cut  across,  thus  weakening  the 
strength  of  the  wood. 

Lathers  should  not  crowd  lath  against  window  frames. 

MORTAR: — Cement  plasters  have  now  taken  the  place  of 
the  old  lime  kind.  (See  page  3.) 

SAND: — Sand  for  all  plasters  should  be  screened.  It  is  pos- 
sible to  spoil  the  plaster  by  using  too  much  sand. 

COATS: — The  ordinary  small  house  is  finished  in  2  coats, 
but  all,  except  the  very  cheapest,  should  have  3.  The  first 
coat,  the  brown  coat,  usually  put  on  at  the  same  time  as  the 
first,  and,  after  thorough  drying,  the  white,  or  putty  coat. 
Sand  finish  is  not  usually  put  on  dwellings,  but  it  is  best  for 
halls  and  large  rooms  where  the  surf  is  to  be  painted  instead 


378  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

of  papered.  Three  coats  are  necessary  for  metal  lath,  as  the 
first  has  to  be  thin  and  dry  before  the  next  is  put  on. 
PROTECTION: — The  walls  of  kitchens,  pantries,  corridors, 
halls,  stairs  and  bath  rooms  are  now  often  finished  to  a 
height  of  3  or  4'  with  the  hardest  of  cement  plasters,  such 
as  Best  Brothers',  Keene's  Cement,  and  no  wood  wainscoting 
used.  It  is  the  cleanest  and  best  finish  short  of  enameled  tile 
or  such  expensive  material.  At  base,  wood  wainscoting,  and 
around  all  openings  where  wood  finish  is  to  be  nailed  on,  the 
plaster  should  be  carefully  straightened. 
METAL  CORNERS: — Use  metal  corners  at  angles.  Then 
the  plaster  can  not  be  broken.  Wood  corner  beads  or  strips 
are  not  nearly  so  good.  They  are  only  5c  or  less  per  ft. 
SCREENS: — It  is  sometimes  hard  to  keep  even  the  best 
plaster  from  cracking.  Muslin  screens  should  be  put  over  all 
openings  to  keep  out  the  hot  summer  air  which  dries  the 
mortar  too  soon. 

BURLAP: — After  a  time,  where  paper  is  not  used,  burlap  is 
put  on  the  side  walls  and  unbleached  muslin  on  the  ceiling 
and  the  surf  painted,  but  ordinary  houses  are  not  usually 
treated  in  this  way  The  burlap  is  either  plain  and  painted 
after  it  is  put  on,  which  appears  to  be  the  more  satisfactory 
way,  or  it  can  be  bought  already  stained  in  various  shades. 
The  joints  should  of  course  be  butted  and  not  lapped  like 
some  cheap  wall  paper,  as  it  is  thick.  It  is  too  heavy  for 
ceilings. 

SUBSTITUTES: — There  are  several  "Board"  inventions  to 
take  the  place  of  plaster.  They  are  extra  good  when  repair- 
ing a  house  where  one  does  not  care  to  spoil  floors  with 
plaster;  but  are  not  in  general  favor  for  new  houses. 

HARDWARE 

See  page  223,  and  buy  according  to  your  purse.  Good,  ser- 
viceable, and  even  beautiful  hardware  may  be  had  at  a  very 
reasonable  price.  All  the  rest  is  leather  and  prunella,  bow- 
ing in  the  house  of  Rimmon,  and  so  forth — but  the  hard- 
ware men  are  as  much  entitled  to  their  share  of  the  extrav- 
agance as  other  merchants,  and  they  can  supply  a  quality  of 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  37£ 

goods  which  would  have  surprised  the  founders  of  this  repub- 
lic. We  excel  in  hardware  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic. 
KINDS: — Use  loose  pin  surf  or  ordinary  butts,  so  that  doors 
can  be  removed  without  using  a  screw  driver.  Cast  iron  is 
cheap,  and  may  serve  for  years,  but  may  be  broken  in  a  day; 
wrt  iron  is  safer.  Put  on  mortise  locks,  not  rim  locks.  Slid- 
ing doors  should  be  hung  from  the  top.  Some  run  on  tHe 
floor,  other  on  side  devices.  Sash  should  be  hung  on  weights, 
and  not  on  any  kind  of  balances.  (See  page  166.)  If  fly  screens 
are  to  be  put  on  the  inside,  flush  sash  lifts  should  be  used,  as 
the  book  or  bar  lifts  project  from  the  sash. 
PAINT: — Under  no  circumstances  should  hardware  be  put 
on  before  the  painter  is  finished.  It  is  next  to  impossible  to 
paint  around  it  without  smearing.  With  varnish  the  results 
are  worse  than  with  paint,  for  the  one  is  seen,  and  the  painter 
has  to  be  careful,  but  the  other  is  tnot,  and  is  run  over  the 
face  of  locks  on  doors  and  windows,  clogging  them  and  pre- 
venting working.  The  hardware  man  is  often  blamed  when 
the  painter  is  at  fault. 

PAINTING 

SHINGLES  should  be  dipped,  but  not  painted. 
NO.  O~F  COATS: — Houses  are  often  painted  with  only  2  coats 
on  the  outside,  but  at  least  3  are  necessary  to  give  a  proper 
finish.  White  lead  mixed  with  linseed  oil  is  the  best  material 
for  the  first,  and  subsequent  costs,  with  the  coloring  matter 
added.  We  live  in  an  era  of  adulteration,  when  even  food 
is  poisoned,  and  baking  powder  partly  made  of  ground  rock, 
and  why  expect  pure  white  lead?  Ochre  is  not  so  good  as 
lead,  but  it  is  cheaper,  and  is  often  used  for  the  first  coat. 
NO.  OF  COLORS: — The  former  style  of  decorated  painting 
is  now  out  of  date.  Houses  are  often  painted  in  only  one  color 
with  the  exception  of  the  sash.  Pure  white  looks  well  but 
it  can  not  be  produced  with  fewer  than  3  coats,  and  4  or  even 
more,  are  better.  A.  shade  of  coloring  matter  hides  many 
deficiencies  at  first,  and  much  dust  afterwards. 
PUTTY: — A  good  painter  will  never  do  any  puttying  before 
the  first  coat  is  put  on.  The  raw  wood  absorbs  the  oil 


380  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

from  the  putty,  and  it  dries  and  falls  out.  For  the  same  rea- 
son the  rabbets  of  sash  must  be  primed  before  the  glass  is 
put  in. 

There  is  more  opportunity  for  using  poor  material  in  paint- 
ing than  almost  any  other  branch  of  building.  Architects 
usually  specify  that  all  materials  must  be  brought  to  the  job 
in  original  packages.  Good  paint  lasts  for  a  long  while;  poor 
paint  fades  in  less  than  a  year. 

INSIDE  PAINTING: — There  is  the  choice  between  paint  and 
finishing  in  the  natural  color,  or  staining  and  varnishing 
(See  page  270  for  standard  finish.) 

FINE  PAINT: — White  and  gold  make  a  fine  combination, 
Si  beautiful  finish,  but  from  five  to  eight  coats  are  required 
to  cover  the  raw  wood  and  bring  out  the  proper  shade.  Such 
work  is  expensive.  It  is  not  possible  to  get  the  white  effect 
with  2  coats.  A  little  color,  inside  even  more  than  outside, 
covers  all  blemishes,  and  makes  a  cheaper  finish  than  the 
pure  article.  Yp  is  not  adapted  for  painting  nearly  so  well 
as  wp.  or  cypress. 

VARNISH: — A  cheaper  finish  than  the  pure  white  may  be 
had  with  the  usual  hard  oil  treatment.  Of  course,  this  does 
not  mean  the  first  quality  of  work  with  the  requisite  number 
of  coats,  and  rubbing  down,  but  merely  a  presentable  finish 
at  a  cheaper  rate  than  for  pure  white  paint.  But  with  a  little 
ground  pumice  stone  and  linseed  oil  any  one  can  do  the 
rubbing  down  to  the  much  admired  "  egg  shell  gloss,"  and 
save  that  part  of  the  painter's  bill,  or,  indeed,  buy  the  ma- 
terial and  put  on  all  the  coats.  (See  page  267.) 
FLOORS: — There  are  a  hundred  and  one  preparations  for 
hardwood  floors.  Painters  stand  by  the  regular  finish,  and 
it  is  sure:  Paste  filler,  2  coats  of  grain  alcohol — not  wood 
alcohol — shellac,  1  coat  of  good  varnish,  sand  papered  be- 
tween coats  and  slightly  rubbed  down  on  the  last.  For  all 
work  sandpapering  is  essential,  and  it  should  be  done  with 
the  grain  of  the  wood,  and  not  across. 

Another  good  finish  is  filler,  and  waxing  2  coats  with  a 
weighted  brush.  Still  another  is  filler,  1  coat  of  shellac,  and 
1  of  wax.  Or  filling  and  2  coats  of  floor  varnish,  or  florene, 
but  this  is  not  so  good  as  the  shellac  treatment.  Floor  var- 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  381 

nish  costs  about  $1.75  per  gall;  white  grain,  and  not  wood 
alcohol,  shellac,  $3.50. 

An  experienced  painter  gave  me  his  choice  for  floors  as 
follows:  No.  1:  Filler,  1  coat  of  shellac,  2  of  varnish,  and 
rubbing  down.  Cost,  with  profit  included,  50c  per  sq  yd. 
No.  2:  Filler,  1  coat  shellac,  1  of  wax,  30c.  Such  woods  as 
oak  require  to  be  filled  owing  to  the  pores;  yp,  wp,  etc,  do 
not  require  filling. 

MAPLE  FLOORS: — It  is  hard  to  say  what  is  the  best  finish 
for  maple  floors.  There  are  a  dozen  and  one  guaranteed 
finishes,  and  11  of  them  are  almost  sure  to  fail. 

There  is  one  good  finish,  and  if  it  will  not  glisten,  neither 
will  it  come  off.  Carpenters  used  to  polish  up  their  beech 
planes  according  to  this  one.  Maple,  is,  of  course,  not  so- 
porous  as  beech. 

Take  a  rag  dipped  in  boiled  linseed  oil  and  rub  the  floor 
all  over  with  it,  then  at  once  rub  it  off  with  a  cloth  to  a  dry 
surf.  If  the  oil  is  not  rubbed  off  the  floor  will  be  "  oily,5' 
and  half  spoiled.  After  the  oil  has  had  time  to  soak  in  apply 
another  coat  in  the  same  way  and  dry  thoroughly  at  once. 
Repeat  the  coat  once  a  week  and  after  a  time  once  in  two 
weeks,  and  always  be  ready,  with  a  kind  of  pride,  to  give 
it  a  coat  and  a  dry  scrub  just  the  same  as  a  horseman  gives 
his  horse  a  currying. 

After  a  certain  time  a  dull  egg  shell  gloss  wiTl  be  there 
"  for  keeps,"  because  the  oil  will  have  soaked  into  the  pores 
so  deep  and  thoroughly  that  the  boards  would  have  to  be 
planed  down  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  get  the  original  color 
of  the  wood. 

This  takes  patience,  but  I  have  often  seen  planes  glisten- 
ing with  this  finish.  It  means  a  spoiled  floor  if  the  oil  is 
not  carefully  rubbed  off. 

On    the    other    hand    some    painters    say    never    to    put    lin-. 
seed  oil  on  a  floor,  but  they  mean  in  the  ordinary  way.     For 
a  time — quite  a  time — linseed  oil   on  any  floor  Is  a  disap- 
pointment.    But  once  on,  it  can  not  be  marred  with  casters 
or  chair  legs. 

If  this  system  is  followed  it  must  be  with  the  same 
patience  that  a  smoker  uses  to  color  a  meerchaum  pipe. 


.382  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

The  only  reward  is  a  sight  of  the  finished  article.  Finis 
•coronat  opus! 

MAPLE  FLOORS: — The  Painters'  Magazine  recommends 
what  for  most  people  will  be  a  more  satisfactory  treatment 
-of  the  much  discussed  maple  floors.  It  is  as  follows: 

Use  2,  or  better  still,  3  coats  of  bleached  grain  alcohol 
shellac — not  wood  alcohol — when  the  natural  color  of  the 
"wood  is  to  fte  preserved.  After  shellac  is  dry  rub  on  a  coat 
'of  floor  oil  composed  of  9  parts  raw  linseed  oil  and  1  part 
drier.  This  will  give  a  smooth  dull  finish.  Once  a  month 
or  oftener  go  over  with  a  floor  oil,  8  pints  of  raw  linseed, 
2  pints  turpentine,  and  1  pint  white  or  orange  grain  shellac 
Tarnish.  Apply  with  a  brush,  and  rub  in  by  wrapping  a 
cloth  around  a  weighted  floor  brush.  Paraffine  oil,  pale  and 
light,  will  also  clean  off  floor  and  preserve  shellac  body 
PLASTER: — If  plaster  is  painted  in  ordinary  fashion,  it  is 
often  stippled  to  take  off  the  brush  marks  and  the  gloss.  But 
"bath  rooms,  etc,  are  often  finished  in  enamel  paint.  A  coat 
<of  glue  size  is  used  on  new  plaster  before  painting. 

HEATING 

Stove  heat  is  good,  furnace  heat  is  better,  and  hot  water 
Tieat  is  ftest.  In  our  foolish  days  they  used  to  drill  us  on 
Positive,  Comparative,  and  Superlative,  and  here  they  face 
us  once  more.  The  first  cost  of  the  hot  water  plant  is  often 
'35  to  100  per  cent  more  than  the  furnace  one.  This 
makes  it  superlative  in  two  senses. 

In  the  chapter  on  "Heating"  the  cost  of  furnaces  is  given 
at  $19  per  room  for  an  aver.  From  a  large  number  of  plans 
examined  I  find  that  hot  water  heating,  as  set  forth  by  the 
manufacturers  of  the  system,  costs  about  $30  per  room.  In 
a  few  cases  it  is  as  low  as  $25;  in  many  it  is  as  high  as 
$50  anil  <even  $60.  It  is  impossible  to  give  a  price  per  room, 
'  as  climate,  glass  surf,  and  distance  from  factory  or  supply 
houses  must  be  reckoned  with.  Coal  consumption  is  said  to 
be  less.  But  once  the  temperature  is  allowed  to  fall,  it  takes 
more  time  to  reheat  than  with  a  furnace.  There  is  danger 
of  freezing  if  the  fire  should  go  out,  and  there  is  a  loss  of 
space  -occupied  toy  radiators. 


HINTS     ON     HOUSE     BUILDING  383 

The  late  W.  B.  Jenney  of  Chicago,  the  father  of  the  sky- 
scraper, said  that  every  architect  should  possess  a  copy  of 
Kidder's  "Architect's  and  Builder's  Pocket  Book."  Kidder— 
now  dead  also — said,  "  For  residences  of  8  or  10  rooms,  and 
covering  not  more  than  1,200  sq  ft  the  author  would  recom- 
mend hot  air  heating  by  means  of  a  good  furnace." 

Many  architects,  again,  look  upon  hot  water  heating  as  the 
ideal  system.  "  For  residences  of  1,400  sq  ft,"  continues  Mr. 
.Kidder,  "  a  combination  hot  air  and  water  system  is  recom- 
mended, or  an  entire  hot  water  system.  For  still  larger,  a 
steam  or  hot  water,  ,  .  ,  " 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

COTTAGES  IN  SPAIN,  OR  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  NEST 

Being  an  Idyllic  and  Popular  Chapter 

PAYS  DE  COCAIGNE:— We  have  all  heard  of  castles  in 
Spain,  but  our  age  runs  to  cottages  built  in  the  same  delight- 
ful country.  For  a  thousand  dollars  you  may  have  one  while 
you  wait,  if  the  illustrated  magazines  are  to  be  believed,  with 
seven  rooms,  modern  plumbing,  electric  lights  flashing  from 
cellar  to  roof,  and  doors  and  windows  made  to  let  in  filtered 
sunshine  and  keep  out  flies  and  burglars.  It  is  magnificent, 
but  jealous  contractors  say  that  it  can't  be  done.  The  maga- 
zmes,  they  say,  are  serving  up  the  strongest  quality  of 
fiction  in  their  advertising  pages.  It  does  seem  strange  that 
people  can  be  gulled  so  easily  as  to  swallow  the  fables.  It 
seems  stranger  still  that  reputable  magazines  will  print  the 
absurd  advertisements. 

It  may  be  accepted  as  a  fact  that  good  building  costs  a 
good  strong  price;  it  may  also  be  accepted  as  a  fact  that 
contractors  seldom  make  more  than  a  close  living  if  they 
spend  their  lives  building  small  cottages  in  competition. 
They  are  cut  to  the  bone.  I  have  not  built  any  for  a  dozen 
years,  and  so  can  give  a  fair  chapter  without  bias. 

On  page  304  an  approximate  figure  is  given  for  frame  houses 
— $300  to  $350  per  room  without  modern  improvements;  $450 
to  $700  with  the  best  finish.  I  built  my  last  one  in  St.  Louis. 
It  cost,  without  modern  improvements,  $330  per  room;  I  know 
of  an  Omaha  house,  solidly  constructed,  one  like  scores  of 
the  very  best  kind  with  everything  modern,  and  the  cost  per 
room  complete  is  far  nearer  $600  than  $500.  These  are  for 
cities  at  city  prices;  in  the  country,  prices  can  be  cut,  but 
not  quite  50%. 

The  St.  Louis  cottage  was  28'  wide  by  32'  long,  with  no 
angles.  It  was  made  as  plain  as  possible,  and  yet  looked 
well.  The  ceilings  were  9'  6"  and  9'  0".  A  cellar  with  earth 
floor  extended  throughout  the  entire  area.  Walls  were  of 

384 


COTTAGES     IN     SPAIN  385 

stone  which  was  supplied  free  of  charge.  There  were  3 
rooms  and  hall  on  each  floor.  Attic  has  sheeting  floor,  but 
was  unfinished.  A  plain  front  porch  ran  across  one  end, 
and  there  was  a  small  balcony  as  second  floor.  Practically 
one  partition  ran  each  way  dividing  house  into  four  spaces. 
There  was  a  sliding  door.  The  finish  was  all  pine  and 
painted.  The  people  who  are  learning  from  the  magazines 
how  to  make  resplendent  bookcases  out  of  old  soap  boxes 
could  build  such  a  house  for  a  few  hundred  dollars,  but  a 
contractor  can  not.  It  was  well  built.  The  walls  were  cov- 
ered with  sheeting,  paper  and  siding;  the  floors  were  of  yp. 
Sometimes  the  sheeting  is  left  off. 

The  parlor  was  14'  3"xl5'  4";  sitting  room,  14'  3"xl4'  6"; 
kitchen,  12'  3"xl4'  3";  hall,  12'  3"xlO'  3";  bedrooms, 
14'  6"xl4'  3";  14'  0"xl4'  3";  12'  3"xl4'  3".  There  were  2 
closets  on  second  floor,  and  a  pantry  on  first.  There  were 
two  chimneys. 

Cost  Per  Cent 

Excavation $30           1 . 6 

Basement,  Chimneys  and  Pipe  Drain.  .  240  12.6 

Lumber 482  25.3 

Millwork  and  Glass 227  11.9 

Carpenter  Labor  at  40c  per  hour 475  24.9 

Plaster 148          7.8 

Hardware 60          3.1 

Tin  and  Kitchen  Sink 60          3.1 

Electric  Wiring 27           1.4 

Mantel  and  Hearth 36           1.9 

Paint 122           6.4 


$1,907       100.0 

That  is  actual  cost;  at  $330  per  room  a  small  margin  ia 
left  for  contractor's  profit.  Nothing  is  allowed  for  outhouses, 
sidewalks,  clothes  poles,  fly  screens,  cistern,  and  broken 
glass.  A  cistern  lined  with  brick  is  worth  about  $50.  Over 
walls,  deducting  recess,  there  are  860  sq  ft  at  $2.22. 

Labor  and  material  are  higher  since  then.  Such  a  house 
is  worth  $2,300  in  Omaha,  St.  Louis,  Chicago,  or  a  dozen  of 
other  cities  which  might  be  mentioned.  If  lumber  can  be 
bought  for  $9  instead  of  $18  or  $24  that  is  another  story;  but 


386  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

no  one  should  believe  that  magazine  prices  will  pass  In 
the  aver  city. 

(See  page  36  for  percentage  of  frame  buildings.) 

LABOR: — Carpenter  labor  is  one  of  the  largest  items,  and 
runs  to  about  1,200  hours;  the  first  contract  I  had  was  for 
a  5  room  house  and  with  making  much  of  the  millwork  by 
hand  the  hours  were  close  .to  1,000.  Another  house  of  the 
same  style,  about  900,  still  another,  950.  For  a  fine  8  room, 
hardwood  finished  house,  including  oak  floors,  the  time  was 
2,200  hours.  Mitred  siding,  fine  cornices,  fancy  roofs,  and 
magazine  half  tones  in  general  take  a  great  many  hours. 
(See  page  160  for  floors.)  On  the  cheapest  house  I  ever  had, 
the  v carpenter  hours  ran  to  460  for  3  rooms,  a  pantry,  a  very 
plain  front  porch,  and  a  chimney  set  in  mid  air,  a  building 
so  plain  as  to  be  totally  unfit  for  the  pages  of  a  magazine. 
The  cost  was  about  $500.  On  an  8  room  dbl  house  to  enclose, 
build  porches  and  put  in  sash  2,500  hours. 

SOME  POSSIBILITIES:— In  some  parts  of  this  wide  con- 
tinent foundations  need  not  go  more  than  a  foot  in  the 
ground;  in  other  parts  they  ought  to  go  4'  to  clear  the  frost 
line.  Dbl  floors  are  used  in  the  best  houses;  single  are  suf- 
ficient in  warm  climates.  The  best  shingles  are  expensive; 
the  kind  sometimes  used  are  scarcely  fit  for  a  stable.  The 
workmanship  is  often  of  very  poor  quality;  where  studs 
should  be  dbl  they  are  left  single.  (See  "  Studs"  page  172.) 
And  so  on  in  a  score  of  ways.  But  even  with  the  cheapest 
material  and  labor,  and  the  poorest  workmanship  it  is  im- 
possible tQ  keep  abreast  of  the  magazine  heroes. 

In  Vermont,  I  once  worked  as  a  carpenter  for  $1.50  per 
day;  in  Oregon  lumber  sells  for  $10  per  M;  in  the  Southern 
states  foundation  walls  do  not  require  to  go  very  deep;  and 
in  Iowa  there  is  a  settlement  where  the  houses  are  left 
unpainted — but  the  difficulty  is  to  get  all  these  various 
advantages  "  assembled;  "  and  they  are  all  required  before 
the  magazine  cottages  can  be  built  at  the  given  price. 

THE  TEST: — The  other  night  a  contractor  and  I  looked  over 
a  model  plan  that  might  please  any  small  family.  It  has 
appeared  in  several  magazines,  and  is  deservedly  populaK 


COTTAGES     IN     SPAIN  387 

The  perspective  of  the  house  is  in  keeping  with  the  well 
designed  floor  plans. 

There  are  3  rooms  on  each  floor,  and  a  large  hall  on  the 
first  floor.  There  is  a  bath  room  in  the  second  floor  hall. 
On  the  first  floor  there  is  a  large  pantry  and  coat  closet; 
on  the  second,  an  alcove  and  2  closets.  The  house  stands 
high  enough  to  show  the  cellar  lights  clear  of  the  ground; 
and  is  crowned  and  ornamented  with  the  popular  Dutch  roof. 
The  St.  Louis  house  was  sq  and  without  projections;  this- 
one  has  corners  and  bays  spread  around,  each  one  adding  to 
the  cost;  and  instead  of  one  plain  cornice  there  are  two  heavy 
ones.  In  proportion  to  size  it  is  in  every  way  a  more  expen- 
sive house  to  build.  The  area  is  about  675  sq  ft  as  against 
860,  but  the  cost  of  houses  of  nearly  the  same  size  is  not 
in  all  ways  reduced  in  proportion  to  area,  for  there  are  prac- 
tically the  same  number  of  openings  to  consider  for  mill- 
work,  and  stairs  are  the  same. 

We  made  a  rough  estimate  of  the  cost  and  agreed  on, 
at  the  very  least,  $2,000  for  Omaha,  and  other  cities;  and 
we  made  a  cut  rate  for  a  cheap  locality  as  follows : 

Cost  Per  Cent 

Excavation $25           1 . 5 

Masonry 220  13.0 

Lumber 320  19 . 0 

Millwork  and  Glass 230  13 . 5 

Carpenter  Labor 350  20. 6 

Plaster,  600  yds  at  22c  (very  cheap). .  .  132           7.7 

Hardware 50          3.0 

Tin 40          2.3 

Mantel  and  Hearth 30           1.7 

Paint 100           5.9 

Plumbing 200  11.8 


$1.697       100.0 

Contractors  are  popularly  supposed  to  make  large  profits* 
The  usual  allowance  may  be  added  for  them.  Electric  wir- 
ing is  not  included,  as  the  specifications  were  not  at  hand, 
but  that  and  other  extras  may  perhaps  be  specified  also. 

As  we  looked  at  our  figures  and  the  published  price  there 
was  a  considerable  difference.  According  to>  the  magazine 


388  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

advertisement  the  house  has  been  built  several  hundred  times 
for  $1,125,  presumably  including  a  good  profit  for  the  con- 
tractor. No  wonder  the  plans  are  selling.  That  is  only 
$188  per  room  with  plumbing  thrown  in. 
A  CHEAP  HOUSE: — But  for  a  "cheesebox  "  cottage  the  low 
figures  will  pass;  and  a  plain  house  that  is  owned  by  the 
occupants  is  more  to  be  desired  than  a  stylish  one  owned 
by  some  one  else. 

Take  a  1-story  house  18'x36',  with  no  projections,  4'x9" 
foundation,  9'  ceiling,  3  rooms  and  pantry,  plain  porch, 
chimney  set  on  a  bracket,  and  the  cost  at  city  prices,  should 
not  run  over  $648,  or  $1  per  sq  ft.  If  posts  and  sheeting 
are  substituted  for  brick  foundations,  $600  is  enough.  Paint- 
ing, set  at  $50,  might  be  done  later  on,  and  $550  taken  as 
the  figure.  But  this  means  a  hole  dug  in  the  ground  for 
a  cellar,  pine  finished,  no  fancy  angles  outside  or  inside,  no 
blinds,  no  sink,  water  supply,  or  cistern.  In  some  localities 
half  that  figure  would  be  enough.  Omaha,  Chicago,  St. 
Louis,  Salt  Lake  City,  New  York,  represent  the  one  extreme; 
the  mountains  of  North  Carolina,  the  forests  of  Washington 
and  the  pleasant  climate  of  Florida  make  the  other  possible. 

The  porch  left  off  cuts  the  price  down  $50  more;  and  for 
those  who  prefer  a  home  of  their  own  without  plaster  to  a 
plastered  one  belonging  to  some  one  else,  for  the  course  of 
the  summer,  a  deduction  of  $75  may  be  made.  But  a  con- 
tractor could  not  build  such  cottages  and  live.  A  good  car- 
penter, just  starting  out,  is  willing  to  take  such  small  con- 
tracts for  the  chance  of  making  a  little  more  than  by  work- 
ing by  the  day. 

But  let  the  distinction  be  kept  clear  between  such  ordinary 
shelters  and  the  miniature  palaces  shown  in  the  magazines. 
ANOTHER: — In  looking  through  some  recent  trade  journals, 
I  found  a  house  almost  the  same  as  the  St.  Louis  one,  and 
the  trade  publications  have  to  present  another  kind  of  esti- 
mates than  those  in  the  illustrated  magazines,  for  their 
*  readers  are  acquainted  with  prices. 

The  size  is  28'x30'  over  all,  there  is  a  cellar  throughout 
entire  house.  There  is  no  hall,  but  4  rooms  and  a  pantry 
on  first  floor,  and  4  rooms  with  closets  above.  The  divi- 


COTTAGES     IN     SPAIN  389 

sion  of  the  partitions  is  practically  the  same,  but  a  box  stair 
is  used.  There  are  only  4  corners,  and  the  finish,  outside 
and  inside,  is  of  the  plainest.  The  ceilings  are  9'  0"  and 
8'  6".  It  is  as  plain  a  house  as  could  be  built,  and  yet  the 
cost  per  room  is  $278,  and  the  rooms  are  small.  The  cost 
and  percentages  are  as  follows: 

Cost  Per  Cent 

Excavation  and  Masonry $315  14 . 2 

Lumber 538  24.2 

Millwork  and  Glass 390  17 . 5 

Carpenter  Work 420  18. 9 

Hardware  and  Tin 100  4.5 

Kitchen  Sink 40  1.8 

Plaster 180  8.1 

Painting 140  6.3 

Incidentals..  100  4.5 


$2,223       100.0 

There  is  no  plumbing  except  the  sink. 

On  the  St.  Louis  house  some  of  the  millwork  was  made 
by  hand  fhus  reducing  cost  of  this  item  and  raising  carpenter 
work;  on  the  foregoing  house  the  mill  work  is  figured  ready 
to  put  on.  The  rate  per  hour  of  carpenters  is  not  given. 
But  the  two  houses  made  a  very  close  comparison. 

On  the  first  the  cost  per  sq  ft  is  $2.22;  on  this  one  the 
cost  is  $2.65;  on  still  another  plan,  originally  made  by  a 
friend  for  competition  in  "  The  Ladies  Home  Journal,"  but 
never  sent  in,  the  cost  is  $4.14,  the  difference  being  due  to 
furnace,  plumbing,  detail  work  and  better  finish. 

"Did  you  send  in  the  plan?"     I  asked  him, 

"No,"  he  replied,  "when  I  found  that  the  cost  ran  to 
more  than  $4  per  sq  ft  without  contractors'  prolt  I  let  it 
go." 

His  plan  is  sq,  29'x32'  with  a  cemented  basement  all 
through;  attic  is  floored  but  not  finished;  there  are  halls 
and  4  rooms  on  each  floor  besides  2  bath  rooms,  and  plenty 
of  closets  with  windows.  Counting  bath  rooms,  makes  10 
rooms  at  $384  each.  The  estimate  made  for  him  by  a  con- 
tractor is  given  below: 


390  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Cost  Per  Cent 

Excavation  and  Masonry $492  12 . 82 

Lumber 500  13.03 

Millwork  and  Glass 906  23 . 61 

Carpenter  Labor 758  19 . 75 

Plastering 234  6 . 09 

Hardware 77  2 . 01 

Tin 65  1.70 

Painting 280  7 . 30 

Heating  and  Mantel 200  5 . 22 

Plumbing 325  8.47 


$3,837         100.0 

BUNGALOWS: — The  real  American  palace,  we  are  told,  is 
a  bungalow.  Like  a  palace,  in  one  respect,  the  cost  some- 
times runs  higher  than  is  expected.  The  bungalow  fad  is  at 
present  sweeping  over  the  land  in  rather  a  strong  way. 
The  little  nook  and  corner  castle  makes  a  pretty  picture, 
but  has  weak  points  as  well  as  strong  ones. 

I  have  seen  many  of  them  in  the  beautiful  semi-tropical 
country  around  Los  Angeles,  and  there  is  their  proper  home. 
Often  a  structure  of  plain  rough  boards  and  battens,  such  as 
we  use  in  other  regions  for  a  coal  shed,  is  built,  and  what 
with  stained  walls,  roses,  palms,  and  luxuriant  foliage,  it 
makes  a  picture  for  an  artist.  But  that  style  will  not  do  in 
zero  weather. 

In  California,  near  the  sea,  no  basement  or  cellar  is  re- 
quired, as  meat  hangs  in  the  open  air.  Then,  a  founda- 
tion is  not  really  necessary  even  on  top  of  the  ground,  to 
say  nothing  of  going  below  the  frost  line.  A  cheap  shelter 
can  easily  be  built  there. 

From  a  Bungalow  Book  at  hand  I  find  that  sq  ft  prices  run 
from  $1  to  $2.10  for  well  finished,  beautiful  structures.  What 
with  foundations,  cellars,  the  necessity  of  guarding  against 
zero  weather  and  high  cost  of  special  millwork,  usually 
shown,  these  prices  might  easily  be  doubled.  The  founda- 
tion and  roof  area  of  a  bungalow  is  necessarily  much  larger 
than  those  of  a  2  story  house;  and  a  roof  costs  almost  as 
much,  even  at  the  same  area,  on  a  1-story  house  as  on  a  2. 

One  bungalow  put  up  in  Omaha  in  1908  cost  $4,000.  The 
size  is  24'x36'  on  ground  floor,  so  that  the  rate  per  sq  ft  is 


COTTAGES     IN     SPAIN  391 

$4.50.  There  is  a  cemented  basement  all  through,  oak  finish 
on  first  floor,  rooms  in  the  attic,  and  everything  finished  in 
the  best  manner.  Ceilings  are  only  8'-6"  and  8'-0",  which  is 
too  low.  For  general  purposes  a  2-story  house  is  more  to 
be  desired. 

Two  others  cost  $3;   one  with  a  single  story,  $2.50. 

Then,  in  a  bungalow  the  bed  rooms  are  usually  on  the  first 
floor — and  if  the  door  happens  to  be  left  open  when  the 
preacher  calls  at  4  P.  M.,  and  through  some  accident  the 
work  is  left  undone,  there  is  soon  apt  to  be  a  sermon  on  the 
ant,  that  marvel  of  industry. 

If  foundations  have  to  run  down  3'-6"  for  frost,  and  floor 
is,  say,  2'-6"  above  ground  there  is  a  brick  walF  5'-0"  deep 
around  a  space  about  30x45  instead  of  one  24x28.  In  the  2 
story,  you  can  excavate  all  the  space,  and  have  enough  room 
— if  you  do  this  in  the  bungalow  you  have  far  too  much  room, 
the  work  is  too  expensive,  especially  if  you  put  in  a  concrete 
and  cement  floor,  and  if  you  excavate  only  a  part,  there  is 
the  rough  earth  to  look  at  instead  of  a  finished  wall. 

A  reinforced  concrete  bungalow  was  put  up  in  1907  at  Fort 
Thomas,  Ky.  It  cost  about  $3,800,  or  $3.90  per  sq  ft  of  ground 
area.  Regular  first  floor  rooms,  and  also  attic.  Red  tile 
roof. 

The  bungalow  is  an  artistic  and  suitable  building  for  the 
bungalow  country,  and,  indeed,  for  any  country  if  you  can 
afford  the  expense.  Of  course  a  summer  home  can  be  built 
cheaply  enough  anywhere,  but  for  a  permanent  winter  home 
in  a  zero  country,  strictly  well  built,  a  bungalow  is  a  high 
priced  luxury. 

SOD: — For  sod  around  buildings  the  charge  in  Omaha  is  12c 
per  sq  yd  laid.  In  Chap  VI  we  see  bids  were  put  in  on 
230,000  yds  for  2  and  3  cents. 


No  matter  how  well  you  build  your  house  it  will  not  satisfy 
every  one.  There  are  many  different  tastes,  and  it  is  well 
that  there  are.  In  "The  Canadian  Architect  and  Builder," 
for  instance,  there  is  a  pleasant  little  article  which  may  be 
read  with  profit: 


392  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

MISTAKES  IN  HIS  NEW  HOUSE. 

O.  M.  Weand,  a  railroad  contractor,  of  Reading,  Pa.,  has 
just  finished  building  a  house  for  himself  and  to  commemo- 
rate the  event,  has  published  an  illustrated  pamphlet  of  50 
or  more  pages  containing  the  criticisms  of  leading  citizens. 
The  title  of  the  book  is  "  The  Mistakes  I  Made  in  Building  a 
House."  Following  are  some  of  the  criticisms  of  his  friends: 

"  Of  course,  you  are  building  the  house,  but  if  it  were  mine, 
I  would  run  an  open  porch  around  the  corner  so  as  to  con- 
nect the  2  porches." 

"  I  would  prefer  one  large  window  in  the  second  story  front, 
instead  of  the  dbl  window." 

"You'll  make  a  mistake  if  you  don't  pebble  dash  the 
exterior." 

"You  better  run  the  13  inch  walls  all  the  way  up.  It 
gets  pretty  windy  out  here  sometimes." 

"  I  think  the  ceilings  are  too  low. 

"  My!     How  small  the  rooms  are." 

"  You  ought  to  be  on  the  other  side  of  the  street." 

"If  it  were  my  house,  I  would  prefer  to  have  the  cornice 
several  inches  higher." 

"By  all  means  put  a  dbl  line  of  boards  on  the  first  floor. 
It  keeps  the  cellar  dust  from  coming  through." 

"  Those  chimney  tops  look  like  tombstones." 

"  The  lawn  steps  should  have  been  immediately  in  front  of 
the  main  entrance." 

"Why  didn't  you  set  the  house  in  the  middle  of  the  lot?  " 

"  Personally,  I  prefer  steam  heat  to  the  hot  water  system." 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

WEIGHTS  AND   MEASURES 
PROPERTIES  OF  THE  CIRCLE 

Diam     X  3. 14159  =  circumference. 

Diam     X     .8862   =  side  of  an  equal  sq. 

Diam     X     .7071   =side  of  an  inscribed  sq. 

Diam2    X     .7854   =  area  of  a  circle. 

Radius  X  6.28318  =  circumference. 

Circumference  -r-  3 .1 41 59  =  diam . 

1st.  The  circle  contains  a  greater  area  than  any  plane  figure,  bounded  by 
an  equal  perimeter  or  outline. 

2d.     The  areas  of  circles  are  to  each  other  as  the  sq  of  their  diam. 

3d.  Any  circle  whose  diam  is  double  that  of  another  contains  four  times 
the  area  of  the  other. 

4th.  Area  of  a  circle  is  equal  to  the  area  of  a  triangle  whose  base  equals 
the  circumference,  and  perpendicular  equals  the  radius. 

TABLE  OF  DECIMAL  EQUIVALENTS 
8THS 

1/8  equals 125  5/8  equals 625 

1/4  equals 250  3/4  equals 750 

3/8  equals 375  7/8  equals 875 

1/2  equals 500 

16THS 

1/16  equals 0625         9/16  equals 5625 

3/16  equals 1875       11/16  equals 6875 

5/16  equals 3125       13/16  equals 8125 

7/16  equals 4375       15/16  equals 9375 

32DS 

1/32  equals 03125       17/32  equals 53125 

3/32  equals 09375       19/32  eqpals. 59375 

5/32  equals 15625       21/32  equals 65625 

7/32  equals 21875       23/32  equals 71875 

9/32  equals 28125       25/32  equals 78125 

11/32  equals 34375       27/32  equals 84375 

13/32  equals 40625       29/32  equals 90625 

15/32  equals 46875       31Z32  equals 96875 

393 


394  ,    THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Table  of  Decimal  Equivalents— Continued 

64THS 

1/64  equals 015625       33/64  equals .515625 

3/64  equals 046875       35/64  equals 546875 

5/64  equals 078125       37/64  equals 578125 

7/64  equals 109375       39/64  equals 609375 

9/64  equals 140625       41/64  equals 640625 

11/64  equals 171875       43/64  equals 671875 

13/64  equals 203125       45/64  equals 703125 

15/64  equals 234375       47/64  equals 734375 

17764  equals 265625       49/64  equals 765625 

19/64  equals 296875       51/64  equals 796875 

21/64  equals 328125       53/64  equals 828125 

23/64  equals 359375       55/64  equals 859375 

25/64  equals 390625       57/64  equals 890625 

27/64  equals 421875       59/64  equals 921875 

29/64  equals 453124       61/64  equals. 953125 

31/64  equals 484375       63/64  equals 984375 

USEFUL    MEMORANDA    AND   TABLES 

1  ci  of  Cast  Iron  weighs 0.26    Ibs 

1  ci  of  Wrought  Iron  weighs 0.28    Ibs 

1  ci  of  Water  weighs 036    Ibs 

1  cf  of  Water  weighs 62.321  Ibs 

1  United  States  gall  weighs 8.33    Ibs 

1  Imperial  gall  weighs 10.        Ibs 

1  United  States  gall  equals 231.        ci 

1  Imperial  gall  equals 277.274  ci 

1  cf  of  Water  equals 7.48  U.  S.  gall 

CONVENIENT    MULTIPLES 

For  the  side  of  an  equal  sq  of  a  circle,  mult  diam  by  .8862.  For  the  surf 
of  a  sphere,  mult  sq  of  diam  by  3.1446.  For  the  Solidity  of  a  sphere,  mult 
cube  of  diam  by  .5236.  For  the  side  of  an  inscribed  cube,  mult  the  radius 
of  a  sphere  by  1.1547.  The  area  of  the  base  of  a  pyramid,  or  cone,  whether 
round,  sq  or  triangular,  mult  by  one-third  of  its  height,  equals  the  solidity. 
The  base  of  a  triangle  mult  by  half  the  height  equals  the  area. 

RULE 

For  finding  the  weight  of  castings  or  forgings  by  the  weight 
of  their  patterns. 

Mult  the  weight  of  the  wp  pattern  by 

16     for  cast  iron,  25     for  lead, 

17.1  for  wrt  iron,  12.2  for  tin, 

17.3  for  steel,  13     for  brass, 

18     for  copper,  11.4  for  zinc, 
and  the  product  is  the  weight  of  the  casting. 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


395 


CIRCUMFERENCES  AND  AREAS  OF  CIRCLES 


Diam 

Circum 

Area 

Diam 

Circum 

Area 

1 

3.1416 

.7854 

64 

201.06 

3216.99 

2 

6.2832 

3.1416 

65 

204.20 

3318.31 

3 

9.4248 

7.0686 

66 

207.34 

3421.19 

4 

12.5664 

12.5664 

67 

210.49 

3525.65 

5 

15.7080 

19.635 

68 

213.63 

3631  .68 

6 

18.850 

28.274 

69 

216.77 

3739.28 

7 

21.991 

38.485 

70 

219.91 

3848.45 

8 

25.133 

50.266 

71 

223.05 

3959.19 

9 

28.274 

63.617 

72 

226.19 

4071  .50 

10 

31.416 

78.540 

73 

229.34 

4185.39 

11 

34.558 

95.033 

74 

232.48 

4300.84 

12 

37.699 

113.1 

75 

235.62 

4417.86 

13 

40.841 

132.73 

76 

238.76 

4536.46 

14 

43.982 

153.94 

77 

241.90 

4656.63 

15 

47.124 

176.71 

78 

245.04 

4778.36 

16 

50.265 

201.06 

79 

248.19 

4901.67 

17 

53.407 

226.98 

80 

251.33 

5026.55 

18 

56.549 

254.47 

81 

254.47 

5153. 

19 

59.690 

283.53 

82 

257.61 

5281.02 

20 

62.832 

314.16 

83 

260.75 

5410.61 

21 

65.973 

346.36 

84 

263.89 

5541.77 

22 

69.115 

380.13 

85 

267.04 

5674.50 

23 

72.257 

415.48 

86 

270.18 

5808.80 

24 

75.398 

452.39 

87 

273.32 

5944.68 

25 

78.540 

490.87 

88 

276.46 

6082.12 

26 

81.681 

530.93 

89 

279.60 

6221.14 

27 

84.823 

572.56 

90 

282.74 

6361.73 

28 

87.965 

615.75 

91 

285.88 

6503.88 

29 

91.106 

660.52 

92 

289.03 

6647.61 

30 

94.248 

706.86 

93 

292.17 

6792.91 

31 

97.389 

754.77 

94 

295.31 

6939.78 

32 

100.53 

804.25 

95 

298.45 

7088.22 

33 

103.67 

855.30 

96 

301.59 

7238.23 

34 

106.81 

907.92 

97 

304.73 

7339.81 

35 

109.96 

962.11 

98 

307.88 

7542.96 

36 

113.10 

1017.88 

99 

311.02 

7697.69 

37 

116.24 

1075.21 

100 

314.16 

7853.98 

38 

119.38 

1134.11 

101 

317.30 

8011.85 

39 

122.52 

1194.59 

102 

320.44 

8171.28 

40 

125.66 

1256.64 

103 

323.58 

8332.29 

41 

128.81 

1320.25 

104 

326.73 

8494.87 

42 

131.95 

1385.44 

105 

329.87 

8659.01 

43 

135.09 

1452.20 

106 

333.01 

8824.73 

44 

138.23 

1520.53 

107 

336.15 

8992.02 

45 

141.37 

1590.43 

108 

339.29 

9160.88 

46 

144.51 

1661.90 

109 

342.43 

9331.32 

47 

147.65 

1734.94 

110 

345.58 

9503.32 

48 

150.80 

1809.56 

111 

348.72 

9676.89 

49 

153.94 

1885.74 

112 

351.86 

9852.03 

50 

157.08 

1963.50 

113 

355. 

10028.75 

51 

160.22 

2042.82 

114 

358.14 

10207.03 

52 

163.36 

2123.72 

115 

361.28 

10386.89 

53 

166.50 

2206.18 

116 

364.42 

10568.32 

54 

169.65 

2290.22 

117 

367.57 

10751.32 

55 

172.79 

2375.83 

118 

370.71 

10935.88 

56 

175.93 

2463.01 

119 

373.85 

11122.02 

57 

179.07 

2551.76 

120 

376.99 

11309.73 

58 

182.21 

2642.08 

121 

380.13 

11499.01 

69 

185.35 

2733.97 

122 

383.27 

11689.87 

60 

188.50 

2827.43 

123 

386.42 

11882.29 

€1 

191.64 

2922.47 

124 

389.56 

12076.28 

62 

194.78 

3019.07 

125 

392.70 

12271.85 

-63 

197192 

3117.25 

126 

395.84 

12468.98 

396 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


LEAD   PIPE 

Weight  per  LP 


Inside 
Diam. 

Thickness  in  In 

A 

i 

A 

* 

1 

i 

1 

I 

in 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

.427 

.97 

1  65 

2.44 

4.38 

.548 

1.21 

2.01 

2.93 

5.11 

7.79 

.670 

1.46 

2.38 

3.42 

5.85 

8.77 

i2'.2 

.791 

1.70 

2.74 

3.90 

6.58 

9.75 

13.4 

i7'.6 

.911 

1.95 

3.11 

4.39 

7.31 

10.7 

14.6 

19.1 

1 

1.03 

2.19 

3.47 

4.88 

8.04 

11.7 

15.8 

20.5 

1.28 

2.69 

4.21 

5.85 

9.5 

13.7 

18.3 

23.4 

1.52 

3.18 

4.94 

6.83 

11. 

15.6 

20.7 

26.3 

1.76 

3.67 

5.67 

7.81 

12.4 

17.6 

23.2 

29.3 

2 

2.01 

4.16 

6.40 

8.78 

13.9 

19.5 

25.6 

32.2 

2.25 

4.65 

7.13 

9.76 

15.4 

21.5 

28.1 

35.1 

2.49 

5.14 

7.86 

10.7 

16.8 

23.4 

30.5 

38. 

2.73 

5.63 

8.59 

11.7 

18.3 

25.4 

32.9 

41. 

3 

2.98 

6.12 

9.32 

12.7 

19.7 

27.3 

35.4 

43,9  - 

i 

3.46 

7.10 

10.8 

14.6 

22.7 

31.3 

40.3 

49.7 

4 

3.95 

8.08 

12.2 

16.6 

25.6 

35.2 

45.2 

55.6 

CAST  IRON   PIPES 
Weight  of  a  LF 


gfi 

Thickness  of  Metal  in  In 

&s 

i 

1 

i 

i 

f 

1 

1 

H 

U 

11 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

2 

5.52 

8.74 

12.27 

16.11 

20.25 

24.70 

29.45 

34.52 

39.88 

51.54 

2i 

6.75 

10.58 

14.73 

19.18 

23.95 

28.99 

34.36 

40.04 

46.02 

58.91 

3 

7.93 

12.43 

17.18 

22.24 

27.61 

32.29 

39.27 

45.56 

52.16 

66.27 

3i 

9.20 

14.27 

19.64 

25.31 

31.29 

37.58 

44.18 

51.08 

58.29 

73.63 

4 

10.43 

16.11 

22.09 

28.38 

34.98 

41.88 

49.09 

56.60 

64.43 

80.99 

4i 

11.66 

17.95 

24.54 

31.45 

38.66 

46.18 

54.00 

62.13 

70.56 

88.36 

5 

12.89 

19.79 

27.00 

34.52 

42.34 

50.47 

58.91 

67.65 

76.70 

95.72 

5i 

14.11 

21.63 

29.45 

37.58 

46.02 

54.76 

63.81 

73.17 

82.84 

103.08 

6 

15.34 

23.47 

31.91 

40.65 

49.70 

59.06 

68.72 

78.69 

88.97 

110.45 

7 

17.79 

27.15 

36.82 

46.79 

57.06 

67.65 

78.54 

89.74 

101.24 

125.17 

8 

20.25 

30.83 

41.72 

52.92 

64.43 

76.24 

88.36 

100.78 

113.52 

139.90 

9 

22.70 

34.52 

46.63 

59.06 

71.79 

84.83 

98.18 

111.83 

125.79 

154.63 

10 

25  16 

38  20 

51  54 

65  19 

79  15 

93  42 

107  99 

122  87 

138.06 

11 

27.61 

41.88 

56.45 

71.33 

86.52 

102.01 

117.81 

133.92 

150.33 

12 

30.07 

45  56 

61  36 

77  47 

93  88 

110  60 

127.63 

144.96 

162.60 

13 

32.52 

49!  24 

66!  27 

83  .'60 

101  !  24 

119il9 

137.45 

156.01 

174.87 

14 

34.98 

52.92 

71.18 

89.74 

108  .  61 

127.78 

147.26 

167.05 

187.15 

15 

56.60 

76.09 

95.87 

115.97 

136.37 

157.08 

178.10 

199.42 

..'!!! 

16 

60  29 

80.99 

102.01 

123.33 

144  96 

166.90 

189.14 

211.69 

18 

67.65 

90.81 

114.28 

138.06 

162!l4 

186.53 

211.23 

236.23 

20 

100  .  63 

126.55 

152.79 

179.32 

2Ofi    17 

233  32 

260  .  78 

22 

110.45 

138.83 

167.51 

196.50  225.8(1 

255.41 

285  .  32 

24 

120.26 

151.10 

182.24 

213.68 

245.44 

277.50 

309.87 

NOTE.    For  each  joint  add  a  ft  in  length  of  the  pipe. 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


397 


U.  S.  GALL  IN   ROUND  TANKS 

For  One  Ft  in  Depth 


Diam 
of 
Tanks 

No. 
U.  S. 
Gall 

CFand 
Area  in 

SF 

Diam 
of 
Tanks 

No. 
U.  S. 
Gall 

CF  andl 
Area  in 
SF 

Diam 
of 
Tanks 

No. 
U.  S. 
Gall 

CF  and 
A.rea  in 
SF 

1' 

5.87 

.785 

5'     8" 

188.66 

25.22 

19' 

2120.90 

283.53 

1'     1" 

6.89 

.922 

5'     9" 

194.25 

25.97 

19'     3" 

2177.10 

291.04 

1'     2" 

8. 

1.069 

5'  10" 

199.92 

26.73  ' 

19'     6" 

2234. 

298:65 

1'     3" 

9.18 

1.227 

5'  11" 

205.67 

27.49 

19'     9" 

2291  .70 

306.35 

1'     4" 

10.44 

1.396 

6' 

211.51 

28.27  | 

20' 

2350.10 

314.16 

1'     5" 

11.79 

1.576 

6'     3" 

229.50 

30.68 

20'     3" 

2409.20 

322.06 

1      6" 

13.22 

1.767 

6'     6" 

248.23 

33.18 

20'     6" 

2469.10 

330.06 

1'     7" 

14.73 

1.969 

6'     9" 

267.69 

35.78 

20'     9" 

2529.60 

338.16 

1'     8" 

16.32 

2.182 

V 

287.88 

38.48 

21' 

2591. 

346.36 

1      9" 

17.99 

2.405 

r  3" 

308.81 

41.28 

21'     3" 

2653. 

354.66 

1'  10" 

19.75 

2.640 

7'     6" 

330.48 

44.18 

21'     6" 

2715.80 

363.05 

1'  11" 

21.58 

2.885 

r  9" 

352.88 

47.17 

21'     9" 

2779.30 

371.54 

2' 

23.50 

3.142 

8' 

376.01 

50.27 

22' 

2843.60 

380.13 

2'     1" 

25.50 

3.409 

8'     3" 

399'88 

53.46 

22'     3" 

2908.60 

388.82 

2'     2" 

27.58 

3.687 

S'     6" 

424.48 

56.75 

22'     6" 

2974.30 

397.61 

2'     3" 

29.74 

3.976 

8'     9" 

449.82 

60.13 

22'     9" 

3040.80 

406.49 

2'     4" 

31.99 

4.276 

9' 

475.89 

63.62 

23' 

3108. 

415.48 

2'     5" 

34.31 

4.587 

9'     3" 

502.70 

67.20 

23'     3" 

3175.90 

424.56 

2'     6" 

36.72 

4.909 

9'     6" 

530.24 

70.88 

23'     6" 

3244.60 

433.74 

2'     7" 

39.21 

5.241 

9'     9" 

558.51 

74.66 

23'     9" 

3314. 

443.01 

2'     8" 

41.78 

5.585 

10' 

587.52 

78.54 

24' 

3384.10 

452.39 

2'     9" 

44.43 

5.940 

10'     3" 

617.26 

82.52 

24'     3" 

3455. 

461.86 

2'   10" 

47.16 

6.305 

10'     6" 

640.74 

86.59 

24'     6" 

3526.60 

471.44 

2'  11" 

49.98 

6.681 

10'     9" 

678.95 

90.76 

24'     9" 

3598.90 

481.11 

3' 

52.88 

7.069 

11' 

710.90 

95.03 

25' 

3672. 

490.87 

3'     1" 

55.86 

7.467 

11'     3" 

743.58 

99.40 

25'     3" 

3745.80 

500.74 

3'     2" 

58.92 

7.876 

11'     6" 

776.99 

103.87 

25'     6" 

3820.30 

510.71 

3'     3" 

62.06 

8.296 

11'     9" 

811.14 

108.43 

25'     9" 

3895.60 

520.77 

3'     4" 

65.28 

8.727 

12' 

846.03 

113.10 

26' 

3971.60 

530.93 

3'     5" 

68.58 

9.168 

12'     3" 

881.65 

117.86 

26'     3" 

4048.40 

541.19 

3'     6" 

71.97 

9.621 

12'     6" 

918. 

122.72 

26'     6" 

4125.90 

551.55 

3'     7" 

75.44 

10.085 

12'     9" 

955.09 

127.68 

26'     9" 

4204.10 

562. 

3'     8" 

78.99 

10.559 

13' 

992.91 

132.73 

27' 

4283. 

572.66 

3'     9" 

82.62 

11.045 

13'     3" 

1031.50 

137.89 

27'     3" 

4362.70 

583.21 

3'  10" 

86.33 

11.541 

13'     6" 

1070.80 

143.14 

27'     6" 

4443.10 

593.96 

3'  11" 

90.13 

12.048 

13'     9" 

1110.80 

148.49 

27'     9" 

4524.30 

604.81 

4' 

94. 

12.566 

14' 

1151.50 

153.94 

28' 

4606.20 

615.75 

4'     1" 

97.96 

13.095 

14'     3" 

1193. 

159.48 

28'     3" 

4688.80 

626.80 

4'     2" 

102. 

13.635 

14'     6" 

1235.30 

165.13 

28'     6" 

4772.10 

637.94 

4'     3" 

106.12 

14.186 

14'     9" 

1278.20 

170.87 

28'     9" 

4856.20 

649.18 

4'     4" 

110.32 

14.748 

15' 

1321.90 

176.71 

29' 

4941. 

660.52 

4'     5" 

114.61 

15.321 

15'     3" 

1366.40 

182.65 

29'     3" 

5026.60 

671.96 

4'     6" 

118.97 

15.90 

15'     6" 

1411.50 

188.69 

29'     6" 

5112.90 

683.49 

4'     7" 

123.42 

16.50 

15'     9" 

1457.40 

194.83 

29'     9" 

5199.90 

695.13 

4'     8" 

127.95 

17.10 

16' 

1504.10 

201  .06 

30' 

5287.70 

706.86 

4/     g* 

132.56 

17.72 

16'     3" 

1551.40 

207.39 

30'     3" 

5376.20 

718.69 

4'  10* 

137.25 

18.35 

16'     6" 

1599.50 

213.82 

30'     6" 

5465.40 

730.62 

4'  11" 

142.02 

18.99 

16'     9" 

1648.40 

220.35 

30'     9" 

5555.40 

742.64 

5' 

146.88 

19.63 

17' 

1697.90 

226.98 

31' 

5646.10 

754.77 

5'     1" 

151.82 

20.29 

17'     3" 

1748.20 

233.71 

31'     3" 

5737.50 

766.99 

5'     2" 

156.83 

20.97 

17'     6" 

1799.30 

240.53 

31'     6" 

5829.70 

779.31 

5'     3" 

161.93 

21.65 

17'     9" 

1851.10 

247.45 

31'     9" 

5922.60 

791.73 

5'     4" 

167.12 

22.34 

18' 

1903.60 

254.47 

32' 

6016.20 

804.25 

5'     5" 

172.38 

23.04 

18'     3" 

1956.80 

261.59 

32'     3" 

6110.60 

816.86 

5'     6" 

177.72 

23.76 

18'     6" 

2010.80 

268.80 

32'     6" 

6205.70 

829.58 

5'     7" 

183.15 

24.48 

18'     9* 

2065.50 

276.12 

32'     9" 

6301  .50 

842.39 

31  i  Gall  to  1  Bbl 

To  find  the  capacity  of  tanks  greater  than  the  largest  given  in  the  table,  look 
in  the  table  for  a  tank  of  one-half  of  the  given  size  and  mult  its  capacity  by 
4,  or  one  of  one-third  its  size  and  mult  its  capacity  by  9,  etc. 


398 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


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WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


399 


WEIGHT  OF  FLAT  BAR  IRON  PER  LF 


ridth 

Thickness  in  In. 

iln. 

A 

4 

A 

1 

A 

1 

A 

i 

i 

I 

I 

1 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

.21 

.42 

.63 

.84 

1.05 

1.26 

1.47 

1.68 

2.11 

2.53 

2  95 

3.37 

.24 

.47 

.71 

.95 

.18 

1.42 

1.66 

1.90 

2.37 

2.84 

3.32 

3.79 

.26 

.53 

.79 

1.05 

.32 

1.58 

1.84 

2.11 

2  63 

3.16 

3.68 

4.21 

.29 

.58 

.87 

1.16 

.45 

1.74 

2.03 

2,32 

2.89 

3.47 

4.05 

4.63 

.32 

.63 

.95 

1.26 

.58 

1.90 

2.21 

2.53 

3.16 

3.79 

4.42 

5.05 

.34 

.68 

1.03 

1.37 

.71 

2.05 

2.39 

2.74 

3.42 

4.11 

4.79 

5.47 

.37 

.74 

1.11 

1.47 

.84 

2.21 

2.58 

2.95 

3.68 

4.42 

5.16 

5.89 

s  •  •  • 

.40 

.79 

1.18 

1.58 

.97 

2.37 

2.76 

3.16 

3.95 

4.74 

5.53 

6.32 

.42 

.84 

1.26 

1.68 

2.11 

2.53 

2.95 

3.37 

4.21 

5.05 

5.89 

6.74 

.45 

.90 

1.34 

1.79 

2.24 

2.68 

3.13 

3.58 

4.47 

5.37 

6.26 

7.16 

.47 

.95 

1.42 

1.90 

2.37 

2.84 

3.32 

3.79 

4.74 

5.68 

6.83 

7.58 

.50 

1.00 

1.50 

2,00 

2.50 

3.00 

3.50 

4.00 

5.00 

6.00 

7.00 

8.00 

.53 

1.05 

1.58 

2.11 

2.63 

3.16 

3.68 

4.21 

5.26 

6.32 

7.37 

8.42 

.55 

1.11 

1.66 

2.21 

2.76 

3.32 

3.87 

4.42 

5.53 

6.63 

7.74 

8.84 

.58 

1.16 

1.74 

2.32 

2.89 

3.47 

4.05 

4.63 

5.79 

6.95 

8.10 

9.26 

.63 

1.26 

1.90 

2.5 

3.16 

3.79 

4.42 

5.05 

6.32 

7.58 

8.84 

10.10 

!•'' 

.68 

1.37 

2.05 

2.74 

3.42 

4.11 

4.79 

5.47 

6.84 

8.21 

9.58 

10.95 

i  

-74 

1.47 

2.21 

2.95 

3.68 

4.42 

5.16 

5.89 

7.37 

8.84 

10.32 

11.79 

.84 

1.68 

2.53 

3.37 

4.21 

5.05 

5.89 

6.74 

8.42 

10.10 

11.79 

13.47 

i!!!! 

,95 

1.90 

2.84 

3.79 

4.74 

5.68 

6.63 

7.58 

9.47 

11.38 

13.26 

15.16 

1.0 

2.11 

3.16 

4.21 

5.26 

6.32 

7.37 

8.42 

10.53 

12.63 

14.74 

16.84 

i"i! 

1.16 

2.32 

3.47 

4.63 

5.79 

6.95 

8.10 

9.26 

11.58 

13.8916.21 

18.52 

.26 

2.53 

3.79 

5.05 

6.32 

7.58 

8.84 

10.10 

12.63 

15.16 

17.68 

20.21 

i'.'..! 

.36 

2.73 

4.  TO 

5.47 

6.84 

8.21 

9.58 

10.94 

13.68 

16.42 

19.16 

21.88 

.47 

2.94 

4.42 

5.90 

7.36 

8.84 

10.32 

11.79 

14.74 

17.68 

20.64 

23.58 

i"!! 

.58 

3.16 

4.74 

6.32 

7.90 

9.48 

11.06 

12.64 

15.78 

18.94 

21.11 

25.50 

.68 

3.36 

5.05 

6.74 

8.42 

10.10 

11.78 

13.48 

16.84 

20.20 

23.58 

26.34 

i"!! 

.79 

3.58 

5.36 

7.16 

8.94 

10.74 

12.52 

14.32 

17.90 

21.48 

25.06 

28.53 

1.90 

3.79 

5.68 

7.58 

9.48 

11.36 

13.26 

15.16 

18.95 

22.75 

26.52 

30.32 

i'.'.!'. 

2.00 

4.00 

6.00 

8.00 

10.0012.00 

14.00 

16.00 

20.00 

24.00 

28.00 

32.00 

2.10 

4.21 

6.32 

8.42 

10.  52  12.  64  14.  74116.  84 

21.05 

25.26 

29.48 

33.68 

i!!!l 

2.21 

4.41 

6.64 

8.84 

11.0513.26 

15.4817.68 

22.10 

26.  52;30.95 

35.36 

i".:: 

2.32 

2.42 
2.52 

4.64 
4.84 
5.05 

6.95 

7.26 
7.58 

9.2611.58113.90 
9.  68|12.  1014.52 
10.00'12.64il5.16 

16.2118.52 
16.9419.36 
17.68'20.20 

23.16 
24.20 
25.26 

27.7832.42 
29.0633.90 
30.32'35.36 

37.04 
38.74 
40.40 

WEIGHTS  AND  DIMENSIONS  OF  ROUND  AND  SQ  BAR 
IRON   PER  RUNNING  FT  IN   LBS 


am 

Wt  per  ft,  Ibs 

Diam 

Wt  per  ft,  Ibs 

Diam 

Wt  per  ft,  Ibs 

Diam 

Wt  per  ft,  Ibs 

In 

Rd 

SQ 

In 

Rd 

Sq 

In 

Rd       Sq 

In 

JRd  |     Sq 

V- 

.01 

.0131 

2.975 

3.80 

2|... 

11  9    15.15 

4J    .. 

44.85   57.2 

.0411 

.0525 

11*'.'. 

3.338 

4.25 

2 

13,3    17. 

f 

47.54 

60.75 

fr'. 

.0925 

.1182 

k*. 

3.725 

4.73 

2 

14.7518  5 

4; 

50.33 

64.35 

.1651 

.2103 

if!:: 

4.12 

5.25 

2 

!  !  ! 

16.4120.5 

53.32 

68. 

.2573 

.3200 

4.545 

5.78 

2 

18.1    23,1 

4 

56.34 

72. 

.'. 

.371 

.4735 

i| 

5. 

6.35 

2 

19.8525-2 

4 

59.44 

75.65 

k' 

.505 
.657 

.6445 

.84 

if- 

5.455 
5.945 

6.95 
7.55 

2 
3 

21.5   27.5 
23.7   30.06 

51 

62.62 
65.88 

79.80 
83.8 

L 

.835 

1.063 

6.445 

8.2 

25.5532.75 

5i 

69.23 

88.25 

i: 

1.031 
1.235 

1.314 
1.59 

1£: 

6  975 
7.52 

8.85 
9.57 

3$'.'.'. 

27.8135.5 
29.8538.25 

5}  !! 

5f   .. 

72.65 
76.18 

92.5 
97.15 

1.475 

1.891 

if  . 

8.05 

10.30 

3i! 

32.2541.15 

5J 

79.75101. 

i! 

1.74 

2.221 

1  1  3 

8.65  111.  05 

3f 

34.4544.15 

5|    .. 

83.45105.8 

2.015 

2.575 

1$ 

9.25    11.83 

3!  !  !  ! 

37.1    47.20 

5f    .. 

87.20110.5 

i'.'. 

2.317 

2.95 

i  *4 

9.9     S12.62 

ft*..  • 

39  5    50.25 

5J 

91.50115.15 

2.625 

3.35 

21.!! 

10.55 

13.4 

14   ... 

41.9553.75 

6     1! 

95.     1120.25 

For  steel,  mult  tabular  number  above  (for  size)  by  1-01. 


400 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


WEIGHT  OF  MACHINE   BOLTS  PER   HUNDRED 


1, 

] 

)iamete 

r 

a 
3 

i 

A 

I 

A 

i 

1 

I 

1 

1 

li 

Ibs 
3.37 

Ibs 
6  00 

Ibs 
9.68 

Ibs 
13.81 

Ibs 
17  62 

Ibs 

33  87 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

i 

3.81 

6  50 

10.43 

14.68 

21.25 

35.81 

V 

4.12 

7  00 

11.18 

15.68 

22  43 

38  25 

59  3i 

21 

24 
2f 
3 

? 

J* 

? 

«» 

4.38 
4.85 
5.30 
5.80 
6.30 
7.25 
7.90 
8.80 
9.70 
10.60 

7.50 
8,00 
8.50 
9.00 
10.00 
11.00 
12.00 
13,00 
14.00 
15,00 

11.68 
12.25 
13.68 
14.06 
15.68 
17.20 
18.73 
20.26 
21.70 
23.20 
24.73 
26  26 

16.68 
17.68 
18.68 
19.68 
21.68 
23.68 
25.68 
27.68 
29.68 
31.68 
33.68 
35  68 

23.87 
25.37 
26.50 
27.80 
30.40 
33.00 
38.08 
35.48 
40.68 
43.28 
45.88 
48  48 

40.25 
42.25 
44.25 
46.25 
50.25 
54.25 
58.25 
62.25 
66.25 
70.25 
74.25 
78  25 

61.87 
65.00 
68.12 
70.62 
76.62 
82.62 
88.62 
94.62 
100.62 
106.62 
112.62 
118  62 

'io3.i2 

109.38 
115.00 
123.00 
131.00 
139.00 
147.00 
155.00 
163.00 
171.00 
179  00 

'  i  77.50 
188.04 
198.58 
209.12 
219.66 
230.20 
240  74 

7i 

27.80 

37  68 

50.08 

82  25 

124  62 

187.00 

251.28 

8' 
9 





29.32 

39.68 
43  68 

52.68 

57.88 

86.25 
94  25 

130.62 
142  92 

195.00 
212  00 

261.82 
283.82 

10 

47  68 

63  08 

102  25 

155  22 

229  00 

305  82 

11 

51.68 

68.28 

110  25 

167  52 

246  00 

327.82 

12 

55  68 

73  88 

118  25 

179  82 

263  00 

349  82 

13 

79  48 

126  25 

192  12 

280  00 

371.82 

14 

. 

85  08 

134  25 

204  42 

297  00 

393  82 

15 

90.68 

142  25 

216  72 

314  00 

415.82 

16 

96  28 

150  25 

229  02 

331  00 

437  82 

17 

101.88 

158  25 

241  32 

348  00 

459  82 

18 

107  48 

166  25 

253  62 

365  00 

481  82 

19 

113.08 

174  25 

265  92 

382.00 

503.82 

20 

118  68 

182  25 

278  22 

399  00 

525  82 

WEIGHT  OF   LAG  SCREWS   PER   HUNDRED 


"S 

Diamete 

r 

| 

A 

1 

A 

i 

& 

s 

1 

i 

1 

1  ^ 

Ibs 
4  75 

Ibs 
7  10 

Ibs 

9  88 

Ibs 
13  90 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

Ibs 

1J 

5.25 

7.60 

10.87 

14.95 

2 

5  75 

8  10 

11  63 

15  80 

24 

26  25 

01 

6  25 

8  70 

12  50 

16  90 

25 

27  75 

r 

3i 

4* 
5 
5* 
6 

7 

6.75 
7.75 
8.75 
9.75 
10.75 
11.75 
12.75 
13.75 

9.35 
10.65 
11.95 
13.30 
14.70 
16.10 
17.50 
18.90 

13.40 
15.10 
16.50 
18.60 
20.40 
22.10 
23.80 
25.50 
29.25 

17.90 
19.87 
22. 
24.30 
26.87 
29. 
31.50 
34. 
39. 

26. 
28. 
31. 
34. 
37. 
40. 
43. 
46. 
52. 

29.25 
33.50 
36.50 
39.50 
42.20 
46. 
49.40 
53. 
60. 

46.50 
51.50 
56.50 
61.50 
67. 
72.25 
78. 
83.50 
94. 

'73." 
79. 
85. 
91. 
97. 
103. 
110. 
125. 

ios. 

112. 
121. 
130. 
140. 
150. 
170. 

8 
9 



33.00 

44. 
49. 

58. 
64. 

67.50 
75. 

104.50 
115. 

140. 
156. 

190. 
210. 

10 

54. 

70. 

82.50 

126. 

172. 

230. 

11 

76. 

90. 

137. 

188. 

250. 

12 

82. 

98. 

148. 

204. 

270. 

WEIGHTS  AND  MEASURES 


401 


MACHINE  BOLTS 

With  Square  Heads,  Square  Nuts  and  Finished  Points 
List  Aug.  1,  1912.    Price  per  100.    Discount  Aug.,  1913,  75  per  cent. 


g 

9/ie 

fl"S 

% 

5/16 

% 

7/l6 

% 

and 

% 

% 

1 

1% 

1% 

^a 

% 

JtolJ 

$1.70 

$2.00 

$2.40 

$2.80 

$3.60 

$5.20 

$7.70 

$10.50 

$15.10 

$22.50 

$30.00 

2 

1.78 

2.12 

2.56 

3.00 

3.86 

5.58 

8.25 

11.20 

16.00 

23.70 

31.50 

2J 

1.86 

.  2.24 

2.72 

3.20 

4.12 

5.96 

8.80 

11.90 

16.90 

24.90 

33.00 

3 

1.94 

2.36 

2.88 

3.40 

4.38 

6.34 

9.35 

12.60 

17.80 

26.10 

34.50 

3* 

2.02 

2.48 

3.04 

3.60 

4.64 

6.72 

9.90 

13.30 

18.70 

27.30 

36.00 

4 

2.10 

2.60 

3.20 

3.80 

4.90 

7.10 

10.45 

14.00 

19.60 

28.50 

37.50 

41 

2.18 

2.72 

3.36 

4.00 

5.16 

7.48 

11.00 

14.70 

20.50 

29.70 

39.00 

5 

2.26 

2.84 

3.52 

4.20 

5.42 

7.86 

11.55 

15.40 

21.40 

30.90 

40.50 

5i 

2.34 

2.96 

3.68 

4.40 

5.68 

8.24 

12.10 

16.10 

22.30 

32.10 

42.00 

6" 

2.42 

3.08 

3.84 

4.60 

5.94 

8.62 

12.65 

16.80 

23.20 

33.30 

43.50 

6J 

2.50 

3.20 

4.00 

4.80 

6.20 

9.00 

13.20 

17.50 

24.10 

34.50 

45.00 

7 

2.58 

3.32 

4.16 

5.00 

6.46 

9.38 

13.75 

18.20 

25.00 

35.70 

46.50 

71 

2.66 

3.44 

4.32 

5.20 

6.72 

9.76 

14.30 

18.90 

25.90 

36.90 

48.00 

8 

2.74 

3.56 

4.48 

5.40 

6.98 

10.14 

14.85 

19.60 

26.80 

38.10 

49.50 

9 

2.90 

3.80 

4.80 

5.80 

7.50 

10.90 

15.95 

21.00 

28.60 

40.50 

52.50 

10 

3.06 

4.04 

5.12 

6.20 

8.02 

11.66 

17.05 

22.40 

30.40 

42.90 

55.50 

11 

3.22 

4.28 

5.44 

6.60 

8.54 

12.42 

18.15 

23.80 

32.20 

45.30 

58.50 

12 

3.38 

4.52 

5.76 

7.00 

9.06 

13.18 

19.25 

25.20 

34.00 

47.70 

61.50 

13 

3.54 

4.76 

6.08 

7.40 

9.58 

13.94 

20.35 

26.60 

35.80 

50.10 

64.50 

14 

3.70 

5.00 

6.40 

7.80 

10.10 

14.70 

21.45 

28.00 

37.60 

52.50 

67.50 

15 

3.86 

5.24 

6.72 

8.20 

10.62 

15.46 

22.55 

29.40 

39.40 

54.90 

70.50 

16 

4.02 

5.48 

7.04 

8.60 

11.14 

16.22 

23.65 

30.80 

41.20 

57.30 

73.50 

17 

4.18 

5.72 

7.36 

9.00 

11.66 

16.98 

24.75 

32.20 

43.00 

59.70 

76.50 

18 

4.34 

5.96 

7.68 

9.40 

12.18 

17.74 

25.85 

33.60 

.44.80 

62.10 

79.50 

19 

4.50 

6.20 

8.00 

9.80 

12.70 

18.50 

26.95 

35.00 

46.60 

64.50 

82.50 

20 

4.66 

6.44 

8.32 

10.20 

13.22 

19.26 

28.05 

36.40 

48.40 

66.90 

85.50 

21 

29.15 

37.80 

50.20 

69.30 

88.50 

22 

3025 

3920 

52.00 

71.70 

91.50 

23 

31.35 

40.60 

53.80 

74.10 

94.50 

24 

42.00 

55.60 

76.50 

97.50 

25  ' 

33.55 

43.40 

57.40 

78.90 

100.50 

26 

34.65 

44.80 

59^20 

8L30 

103.'50 

35.75 

46.20 

61.00 

83  70 

106.50 

28 

B6.85 

47.'60 

62.'80 

88.10 

109.50 

29 

.... 

.... 

.... 

.... 

!'.  !! 

37.95 

49.00 

64.60 

88.50 

112.50 

30 

39.06 

50.40 

66.40 

90.90 

115.50 

The  following  extras  are  to  be  understood  as  a  part  of  the  above  list : 

Bolts  with  Hexagon  Heads  or  Hexagon  Nuts,  10  per  cent,  extra. 

If  both  Hexagon  Heads  and  Hexagon  Nuts,  20  per  cent,  extra. 

Joint  Bolts  with  Oblong  Nuts,  10  per  cent,  extra. 

Bolts  with  Tee  Heads,  Askew  Heads  and  Eccentric  Heads,  20  per  cent, 
extra. 

Key  Bolts,  20  per  cent,  extra. 

Bolts  with  Cotter  Holes,  25  per  cent,  extra. 

Special  bolts  with  irregular  Threads  and  unusual  dimensions  of  Heads 
or  Nuts  wil  be  charged  extra,  at  the  discretion  of  the  manufacturer. 

Machine  Bolts  when  fitted  with  U.  S.  Standard  Square  Nuts,  add  5 
per  cent. 

Machine  Bolts  when  fitted  with  U.  S.  Standard  Hexagon  Nuts,  add  15 
per  cent. 

Machine  bolts  packed  other  than  standard  packing  to  be  charged 
extra  at  discretion  of  manufacturer. 


402  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

NUMBER  OF  RIVETS  IN  100  LBS 


3$ 

MO) 

& 

Diameter  of  Rivets 

i 

*  ' 

i 

A 

I 

A 

i 

1 

H 

I 

{ 

1 

, 
| 

Ij 
1 

lj 
1 
Ij 
1^ 

1 

2 

3j 
2 

i 

2 
2 
2 
2 
3 
3' 

1 

4- 

I 

5 

5 

1 
e 

6 
6 

7 
7 

7 
7 
8 

! 

1 
i 
i 
i 

17500 
16000 
14400 
13500 
12000 
11600 
10800 
10000 
9300 
8700 
8100 

15900 
13800 
12200 
10900 
9800 
9000 
8300 
7600 

7100; 

'6366 

8000 
7000 
6300 
5700 
5200 
4700 
4400 
4100 
4000 
3800 
3500 
3400 
3000 

'2800 

5100 
4500 
4100 
3700 
3400 
3100 
2900 
2700 
2500 
2300 
2200 
2000 
1900 

'isoo 

3200 
2900 
2373 
2190 
2034 
1898 
1780 
1675 
1582 
1498 
1424 
1356 
1295 
1238 
1187 
1139 
1095 
1052 
1017 
982 
949 
890 
837 
791 

1900 
1800 
1476 
1371 
1280 
1200 
1129 
1066 
1010 
960 
914 
872 
834 
800 
768 
738 
711 
687 
662 
636 
611 
581 
548 
519 

1103 
1030 
968 
910 
862 
815 
776 
740 
707 
672 
648 
623 
599 
577 
556 
537 
519 
503 
487 
459 
433 
411 
395 
390 
372 
355 
339 
325 
312 
300 
289 
279 

642 
604 
571 
541 
514 
489 
462 
446 
428 
411 
395 
381 
367 
354 
343 
332 
321 
311 
302 
285 
270 
257 
250 
244 
233 
223 
214 
205 
197 
190 
183 
177 
171 
165 
160 
155 
150 
146 
142 
138 

400 
382 
365 
350 
335 
324 
311 
302 
293 
285 
277 
269 
261 
253 
245 
237 
230 
218 
208 
198 
195 
189 
180 
172 
166 
160 
154 
149 
144 
139 
135 
131 
127 
123 
119 
116 
113 
110 

345 
322 
311 
295 
284 
275 
266 
257 
249 
240 
233 
226 
219 
212 
206 
201 
196 
186 
177 
168 
165 
161 
155 
149 
143 
136 
131 
127 
123 
118 
114 
110 
107 
104 
100 
97 
94 
92 

'208' 
206 
204 
201 
199 
192 
185 
178 
172 
167 
162 
157 
152 
148 
144 
140 
132 
126 
120 
119 
115 
110 
1-5 
101 
97 
94 
91 
88 
85 
82 
79 
77 
75 
73 
71 
69 
67 

'i32' 

128 
124 
120 
116 
112 
108 
104 
100 
96 
92 
88 
85 
82 
79 

"77" 
75 
73 
71 
69 
67 
65 
63 
61 
59 
57 
55 
53 
51 
49 
47 
45 

::;:: 

5600 
'5666 

4600! 

2500 

1700 

4200 

2300 

1500 

;  \\ 

3900 
3600 
3400i 
3200 

2200 
2000 
1900 
1800 

1400 
1300 
1200 
1175 

'•'• 

3000i 

1700 
1600 
1500 
1475 
1400 
1350 
1300 
1250 
1200 

1100 
1050 
1000 
925 
900 
850 
825 
775 
750 

749 
700 
650 
625 
600 
575 
550 
525 
500 

400 

... 



The  measure  of  countersunk  head  rivets  is  over  all.  All 
other  styles  are  measured  from  under  the  head.  Boiler 
rivets  less  than  1  inch  long  are  £  cent  per  Ib  extra.  Tank 
rivets  ^  inch  in  diam  and  less  are  sold  at  a  list  price  and 
subject  to  discount. 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES  403 

ESTABLISHED  WEIGHTS   OF  GALV  SHEETS 


u.  s. 

Stand 
Gauge 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

20 

22 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

WITT 

per  V 
sf  Ibs  \ 

5.781 

4.531 
72.5 

3.281 
52.5 

2.656 

2.156 
34.5 

1.656 

1.406 

1.156 
18.5 

1.031 

.9062 
14.5 

.8437 
13.5 

.7812 

.7187 

.6562 

Wgt.  / 
per  k 
sf  oz  i 

92.5 

42.5 

26.5 

22.5 

16.5 

12.5 

11.5 

10.5 

Size  of 
Sheet 

WEIGHT  OF  SHEET  —  POUNDS 

24x  72 

69 

54 

39 

32 

26 

20 

17 

14 

12 

11 

10 

9 

9 

8 

24x  84 

81 

63 

46 

37 

30 

23 

20 

16 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

24x  96 

93 

73 

53 

43 

35 

27 

23 

19 

17 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

24x120 

116 

91 

66 

53 

43 

33 

28 

23 

21 

18 

17 

16 

14 

13 

26x  72 

75 

59 

43 

35 

28 

22 

18 

15 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

9 

26x  84 
26x  96 
26x120 

88 
100 
125 

69 
79 
98 

50 
57 
71 

40 
46 
58 

33 
37 

47 

25 
29 
36 

21 
24 
30 

18 
20 
25 

16 
18 
22 

14 
16 
20 

13 
15 
18 

12 
14 
17 

11 
12 
16 

10 
11 
14 

28x  72 

81 

63 

46 

37 

30 

23 

20 

16 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

9 

28x  84 

94 

74 

54 

43 

35 

27 

23 

19 

17 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

28x  96 

108 

85 

61 

50 

40 

31 

26 

22 

19 

17 

16 

15 

13 

12 

28x120 

135 

106 

77 

62 

50 

39 

33 

27 

24 

21 

20 

18 

17 

15 

30x  72 

87 

68 

49 

40 

32 

25 

21 

17 

15 

14 

13 

12 

11 

10 

30x  84 

101 

79 

57 

46 

38 

29 

25 

20 

18 

16 

15 

14 

13 

11 

30x  96 

116 

91 

66 

53 

43 

33 

28 

23 

21 

18 

17 

16 

14 

13 

30x120 
36x  72 

145 
104 

113 
82 

82 
59 

66 

48 

54 
39 

41 
30 

35 

29 

26 

23 

21 

20 

18 

16 

25 

21 

19 

16 

15 

14 

13 

12 

36x  84 

121 

95 

69 

55 

45 

35 

30 

24 

22 

19 

18 

16 

15 

14 

36x  96 

139 

109 

79 

64 

52 

40 

34 

28 

25 

22 

20 

19 

17 

16 

36x120 

173 

136 

98 

80 

65 

50 

42 

35 

31 

27 

25 

23 

22 

20 

42x  72 

121 

95 

71 

56 

45 

34 

29 

24 

22 

19 

18 

16 

15 

14 

42x  84 
42x  96 

142 
162 

111 
127 

80 
92 

65 

74 

53 

41 

34 
39 

28 
32 

25 
29 

22 
25 

21 
24 

19 
22 

18 
20 

16 
18 

60 

46 

42x120 
48x  72 

202 

159 

115 

93 

75 
52 

58 
40 

49 
34 

41 
28 

36 
25 

33 
22 

29 

20 

27 
19 

25 
17 

23 
16 

139 

109 

79 

64 

48x  84 

162 

125 

92 

74 

60 

46 

39 

32 

29 

25 

24 

22 

20 

18 

48x  96 

185 

145 

105 

85 

69 

55 

45 

37 

33 

29 

27 

25 

23 

21 

48x120 

231 

181 

131 

106 

86 

66 

56 

46 

41 

36 

34 

31 

29 

Price 
perlb 

12c 

12c 

12c 

12c 

13c 

13c 

14c 

14c 

15c 

15c 

16c 

17c 

19c 

21c 

Discount  prices  75%.     See  Chapter  XV.  for  Chicago  prices. 


404 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 
LARGE  SIZES 


No.  18  and  heavier.    Extra 

Over  36"  to  40"  wide,  inc $0.01 

Over  40"  to  44"  wide,  inc 01  i 

Over  44"  to  48"  wide,  inc 02J 


No.  19  and  lighter.    Extra 

Less  than  24"  wide  to  12" 

Over  32"  to  36"  wide,  inc 

Over  36"  to  40"  wide,  inc 

Over  40"  to  44"  wide,  inc 

Over  44"  to  48"  wide,  inc 


$0.01 
.01 
.02 
.03 
.05 


WEIGHT   OF   CORRUGATED   SHEETS 

Per  Sq 


BLACK 


GALVANIZED 


Gauge 
No. 

2"  2J*  3' 
Corrug 

U" 

Corrug 

2"  21"  3" 
Corrug 

li" 
Corrug 

Sheets    25"    and    26* 

16 

271  Ibs 

286  Ibs 

wide  after  corrugating 

cover     24"      (approxi- 

18 

217  Ibs 

232  Ibs 

20 

163  Ibs 

170 

178  Ibs 

185 

mately).     2"     corruga- 
tions furnished  in  No. 

21 

150  Ibs 

156 

165  Ibs 

22 
23 

136  Ibs 
123  Ibs 

142 
128 

151  Ibs 
138  Ibs 

157 

18     and     lighter.       f" 
corrugations    furnished 

24 
25 

110  Ibs 
96  Ibs 

114 
100 

124  Ibs 
111  Ibs 

129 

in  No.  24  and  lighter. 
A"    corrugations     fur- 

nished in  No.  26  and 

26 

83  Ibs 

86 

98  Ibs 

101 

lighter. 

27 

76  Ibs 

79 

91  Ibs 

94 

28 

68  Ibs 

72 

85  Ibs 

87 

NUMBER  OF  SHEETS  IN  1  SQ 

100  Sq  Ft 


CoTTUg 

Width 
Flat 

Width  after 
Corrug 

LENGTH  OF  SHEET 

72" 

84" 

96" 

108" 

,120" 

2"  2J*  3" 

28" 

26" 

7.692 

6.593 

5.7<:9 

5.128 

4.616 

H" 

28* 

25" 

8.000 

6.857 

6.000 

5.333 

4,800 

WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES  405 

ESTIMATED  WEIGHTS  OF  BLACK  SHEETS 

U.  8.  Standard  Gauge.    Weight  per  Sheet  in  Lbs. 


U.S. 
Gauge 

10 

12 

14 

16 

16 

18 

20 

22 

24 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

Lbs 
per  SF 

TEkF 
T 

5.825 
A 

4375 

3.125 

2312 

2.50 

2.00 

1.50 

125 

1.00 

.75 

.6875 

.625 

.5625 

.50 

A 

A 

i*t 

A 

* 

32.00 
33.67 
36.00 
40.00 
46.00 
48.00 

34.67 

36.47 
39.00 
4333 
4933 
52.00 

3733 

39.28 
42.00 
46.67 

40.00 

42.08 
45.00 
50.00 
57.50 
60.00 

38.50 
48.00 
54.00 
60.00 
69.00 
72.00 

44.92 
56.00 
63.00 
70.00 
80.50 
84.00 

5133 
64.00 
72.00 
80.00 
92.00 
96.00 

A 

24.00 

2525 
27  .00 
30.00 
34.50 
36.00 

26.00 
27.35 
29.25 
32.50 
3738 
39.00 

28.00 
29.46 
31.50 
35.00 

30.00 
31.56 
33.75 
37.50 
43.13 
45.00 

2838 
36.00 
40.50 
45.00 
51.75 
54.00 

33.69 

42.00 
4725 
52.51 
60.38 
63.00 

38.50 
48,00 
54.00 
60.00 
69.00 
72.00 

A 

20.00 
21.04 
22.50 
25.00 
28.75 
30  XX) 

21.67 

22.79 
24.37 
27.08 
31.15 
32.50 

23.33 
24.55 
2625 
29.17 

25.00 

26.30 
29.12 
3125 
35.94 
37.50 

24.06 
30.00 
33.75 
37.50 
43.13 
45.00 

28.07 
35.00 
39.37 
43.75 
50.31 
52.50 

A 

Tin 

AS 

A 

10.00 

10.52 
1125 
12.50 
14.38 
15X0 

10.83, 
11.40 
12.19 
13.54 
15.57 
1625 

11.67 
1227 
13.13 

14.58 

12.50 
13.15 
14.06 
15.63 
17.97 
18.75 

•I* 

A 

24x  06 
101 
108 
120 
138 
144 

26x  96 
101 
108 
120 
138 
144 

28x  96 
101 
108 
120 

30x  96 
101 
108 
120 
138 
144 

36x  77 
96 
108 
120 
138 
144 

42x  77 
96 
108 
120 
138 
144 

48*  77 
96 
108 
120 
138 
144 

54x  77 
96 
108 
120 
138 
144 

60x  77 
06 
108 
120 
138 
144 

90.00 
94.69 
101.25 
112.50 
129.38 
1350)0 

97.50 
102.58 
109.69 
121.88 
140.1& 
146.25 

105.00 
110.47 
118.13 
131.25 

112.50 
118.36 
126.56 
140.63 
161.72 
168.75 

108.28 
135.00 
151.88 
168.75 
194.06 
202.50 

12633 

157.50 
177.19 
19638 
226.41 
236.25 

14438 
180.00 
202.50 
225.00 
258.75 
270.00 

162.42 
201.50 
227.82 
253.13 
291.09 
303.75 

70.00 
73.65 
78.75 
87.50 
100.63 
105.00 

75.83 
79.78 
85.31 
94.79 
109.01 
113.75 

81.67 
85.92 

91.88 
102.08 

187.50 
92.06 
98.44 
109.38 
125.78 
131.25 

8422 
105.00 
118.13 
131.25 
145.47 
157.50 

9826 
122.50 
13731 
153.13 
176.09 
183.75 

11229 

140.00 
157.50 
175.00 
201  .25 
210.00 

12633 
1157.50 
17720 
19638 
21821 
23625 

50.00 
52,60 
5625 
62.50 
7138 
75.00 

54.17 
57.00 
60.94 
67.71 
7737 
8125 

5833 
6137 
65.63 

72.92 

62.50 
65.76 
7031 
78.13 
89.84 
93.75 

60.17 
75.00 
8438 
93.75 
10731 
112.50 

70.18 
87.50 
98.44 
10938 
125.78 
13125 

8021 

100.00 
112.50 
125.00 
143.75 
150.00 

45.00 
47.34 
50.68 
5625 
64.69 
67.50 

48.75 
5129 
5484 
60.94 
70.08 
73.13 

52.50 
5523 
59.06 
65.63 

5625 
59.18 
62.69 
7031 
8036 
8438 

54.14 
67.50 
75.94 
8438 
97.03 
10125 

63.16 

78.75 
88.59 
98.44 
113.20 
118.13 

72.19 
90.00 
10125 
112.50 
129.38 
135.00 

40.00 
42.08 
45.00 
50.00 
57.50 
60.00 

4333 

45.59 
48.75 
54.17 
6229 
65.00 

46.67 
49.09 
52.50 
5833 

50.00 

52.60 
5625 
62.50 
71.88 
75.00 

48.13 
60.00 
67.50 
75.00 
8625 

moo 

56.14 
70.00 
78.75 
87.50 
100.63 
105.00 

64.17 
80.00 
90.00 
100.00 
115.00 
120.00 

16.00 

1634 
18.00 
20.00 
23.00 
24  JOO 

17.34 

18.24 
19.50 
21.67 
24.92 
26.00 

18.67 
19.64 
21.00 
2333 

20.00 

21.04 
22.50 
25.00 
28.75 
30.00 

12.00 

12.63 
13.50 
15.00 
1725 
18.00 

13.00 
13.68 
14.63 
1625 
18.69 
19.50 

14.00 
14.73 
15.75 
17.50 

15X0 

15.78 
1638 
18.75 
21.56 
22.50 

11X0 
11.57 
12.38 
13.75 
1531 
16.50 

11.92 
12.54 
13.41 
14.90 
17.13 
1738 

12.83 
13.50 
14.44 
16J04 

13.75 

14.47 
15.47 
17.19 
19.77 
20.63 

0X0 

9.47 
10.13 
1125 

8.00 
8.42 
9X0 
10X0 

0.75 

10.26 
10.97 
12.19 

8.67 
9.12 

1033 

10.50 
11.05 
1131 
13.13 

1125 

933 
932 
10.50 
11.67 



..... 

.  .-..  «• 

19.25 
24.00 
27.00 
30.00 
34.50 
36.00 

22.46 
28.00 
31  .5C 
35.00 
40.25 
42  00 

14.44 

18.00 
20.25 
22.50 
25.88 
27  XX) 

1634 

21.00 
23.63 
26.25 
30.19 
31.50 

1925 

24.00 
27.00 
30.00 
34.50 
36.00 

1323 
16.50 
18.56 
20.63 
23.72 
24.75 

15.44 
19.25 
21.66 
24.06 
27.67 
2838 

17.65 
22  JOO 
24.75 
27.50 
31.63 
33.00 

12X3 
15.00 
16.88 
18.75 
21.56 
22.50 

14X4 
17.50 
19.69 
21.88 
25.16 
2624 

16.04 

20X0 
22.50 
25.00 
28.75 
30.00 

.  .  ..^. 

l'«  «X 



•  •»  »•  . 

32.08 
40.00 
45.00 
60.00 
57.50 
60.00 

25.67 
32.00 
36.00 
40.00 
46.00 
48.00 

9026 
112.50 
126.57 
140.63 
161.71 
168.75 

NOTE 
Above  estimated  weights  are  based  on  U.  8.  standard 
gauge   for   Iron.      For  steel,  add  2  %.      These   figures 
are  given  for  convenience  in  estimating  only,  and    may 
vary  somewhat  in  actual  practice.    The  sizes  below  the 
heavy  black  line  will  probably  considerably  exceed  the 
weights  given,  and  it  is  safe,  therefore,  to  allow  for  an 
overweight  of  at  least  10  %. 

180.48 
225.00 
253.12 
281.26 
328.44 
337.50 

14036 
175.00 
19638 
21936 

251.56 
262.50 

406 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


ROUND  COPPER   RODS 

Weight  per  Ft 


Wgt  per  ft 
iameter                                   in  length 
|                                                  424  Ibs 

Diar 

H 
If 

I5 

Wgt  per  ft 
neter                                    in  lengths 
4  71    Ibs 

755  Ibs. 

5  71    Ibs 

1   19  Ibs 

6  79    Ibs 

1  69  Ibs. 

7  94    Ibs 

....                                          2  31  Ibs 

If 

9  21    Ibs 

3.  02  Ibs. 

H 

..10.61    Ibs. 

3. 82  Ibs.        2" 12.08    Ibs. 

METALS 
Weight  per  Sq  Ft 


Thickness 

Wro't 
Iron 

Cast 
Iron 

Steel 

Copper 

Brass 

Lead 

Zinc 

Ibs 
2  51 

Ibs 
2  34 

Ibs 
2  55 

Ibs 
2  89 

Ibs 
2  67 

Ibs 
3  69 

Ibs 
2  34 

i" 

5.03 

4,69 

5.10 

5.78 

5.35 

7  38 

4  68 

1  // 

7  58 

7  03 

7  66 

8  67 

8  02 

11  07 

7  02 

** 

10.07 

9.38 

10.21 

11.56 

10.7 

14  76 

9  36 

5  // 

12.58 

11  73 

12  71 

14  45 

13  37 

18  45 

11  7 

f    " 

15.10 

14.07 

15.31 

17.34 

16.05 

22.14 

14  04 

7  // 

17  62 

16  42 

17  87 

20  23 

18  72 

25  83 

16  34 

9* 

20.14 

18.77 

20.42 

23.12 

21.4 

29  53 

18  72 

9  // 

22  65 

21   11 

22  97 

26  01 

24  07 

33  22 

21  08 

f  " 

25.17 

23.46 

25  52 

28  90 

26  75 

36  91 

23  44 

ll// 

27  69 

25  81 

28  08 

31  97 

29  42 

40  60 

25  80 

V/f 

30  21 

28.15 

30  63 

34  68 

32  1 

44  29 

28  13 

A" 

32  72 

30  50 

33  18 

37  57 

35  19 

47  93 

30  49 

»* 

35.24 

32.85 

35  73 

40  69 

38  28 

51  67 

32  81 

44" 

37  76 

35  19 

28  28 

43  35 

41  37 

55  37 

35  17 

1"  

40.28 

37.54 

40.83 

46.25 

43.75 

59.06 

37.50 

BRICK: — Common  brick  of  the  national  size  weigh  from  4£ 
to  5  Ibs;  pressed  and  paving,  from  6  to  7,  depending  upon 
clay,  burning  and  size. 

LIME: — On  the  basis  of  53  Ibs  to  the  cf  lime  weighs  about 
66  Ibs  to  the  bushel,  but  in  bulk  it  is  often  sold  on  the  basis 
of  80  Ibs  or  200  Ibs  to  the  bbl  of  21  bushels. 

WEIGHTS  OF  VARIOUS  SUBSTANCES   PER  CF 


Names  of  Substances 

Ash,  American  White,  Dry 

Asphaltum . 


Average 
Wgt,  Lbs 
38 

Brass  (Copper  and  Zinc)  Cast. ............. . !  504 

Brass  Rolled 524 

Brick,  Best  Pressed 150 

Brick,  Common  Hard 125 

Brick,  Soft,  Inferior 100 

Brick,  Fire 137 


Brickwork,  Pressed  Brick. 
Brickwork,  Ordinary 


140 
112 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES  40T 

Average 

Names  of  Substances  Wgt,  Lba 

Cement,  Hydraulic,  Ground,  Loose,  American,  Rosendale 56 

Cement,  Hydraulic,  Ground,  Loose,  American,  Louisville 50 

Cement,  Hydraulic,  Ground,  Loose,  English,  Portland 90 

Cherry,  Dry 42 

Chestnut,  Dry 41 

Concrete 140 

Copper,  Cast 543 

Copper,  Rolled 548 

Ebony,  Dry '    76 

Elm,  Dry 35 

Flint 162 

Glass,  Common  Window .. .  157 

Gneiss.  Common 168 

Granite 170 

Gravel,  about  the  same  as  Sand,  which  see 

Hemlock,  Dry 25 

Hickory,  Dry 53 

Ice 50  to    58 

Iron,  Cast 450 

Iron,  Wrt,  Purest 485 

Iron,  Wrt,  Average 480 

Lead. 711 

Lime,  Quick,  Ground,  Loose,  or  in  Small  Lumps 

Lime,  Quick,  Ground,  Loose,  Thoroughly  Shaken 75 

Lime,  Quick,  Ground,  Loose,  Per  Struck  Bushel 66 

Limestones  and  Marbles 168  j 

Limestones  and  Marbles,  Loose,  in  Irregular  Fragments 96 

Mahogany,  Spanish,  Dry 

Mahogany,  Honduras,  Dry I  35 

Maple,  Dry 49 

Marbles,  see  Limestones. 

Masonry,  of  Granite  or  Limestone,  well  dressed 165 

Masonry,  of  Mortar  Rubble 154 

Masonry,  of  Dry  Rubble  (well  Scabbled) 138 

Masonry,  of  Sandstone,  well  dressed 144 

Mortar,  Hardened 103 

Oak,  Live,  Dry 59 

Oak,  White,  Dry 52 

Oak,  Other  Kinds 32  to    45 

Pine,  White,  Dry 25 

Pine,  Yellow,  Northern 

Pine,  Yellow,  Southern 45 

Plaster  of  Paris , 

Quartz,  Common,  Pure 

Sand,  of  Pure  Quartz,  Dry,  Loose 90  to  106 

Sand,  Well  Shaken 99  to  117 

Sand,  Perfectly  Wet 120  to  140 

Sandstones,  Fit  for  Building 151 

Shales,  Red  or  Black 162 

Slate 175 

Snow,  freshly  fallen 5  to    12 

Snow,  Moistened  and  Compacted  by  Rain 15  to    50 

Spruce,  Dry 2& 

Steel......    490 

Sycamore,  Dry jg 

T^cast.-.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::  459 

Walnut,  Black,  Dry 38 

Water,  Pure  Rain  or  Distilled,  at  60°  Fahrenheit °£l 

Water,  Sea 

Zinc  or  Spelter •  .  437 

Green  Timbers  usually  weigh  from  one-fifth  to  one-half  more  than  dry. 


408  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

WEIGHT  OF  WINDOWS 

There  are  so  many  scores  of  different  sizes  and  thicknesses 
that  it  is  best  to  refer  to  millbook  for  weight.  A  fair  idea 
is  given  in  chapter  on  niillwork. 

WEIGHTS  OF  FOUR  PANEL  PINE  DOORS 

SIZE  THICKNESS 

i"  ii"  IF  ir 

2'0"x6'0"  17                       22  33                        45 

2'4"x6'4"  21                         27  35                         48 

2'6"x6'6"  23                         29  -     36                        53 

2'8"x6'8"  24                        31  42                       56 

2'10"x6'10"  33  44                       53 

3'0"x7'0"  85  42 
3'0"x7'6" 
F»r  moulded  doors  add  to  above  five  pounds  for  each  side  moulded. 

Approx  weights  of  veneered  hardwood  doors. 
If  thick,  3  Ibs  to  the  sf         1  \"  thick,  3i  Ibs  to  the  sf        21"  thick,  4J  Ibs  to  the  sf 

SQUARE  COLUMNS 

4x4  4x4  4x4  5x5  5x5  5x5  6x6  6x6  6x6 

8-0  9-0  10-0  8-0  9-0  10-0  8-0  9-0  10-0 

Poplar....  18  24  27  38  44  52  50  70  79 

Fir 22  25  28  42  49  65  56  75  82 

BUILT  UP  COLS 

8x8  8x8  8x8  10x10  10x10  10x10 

8-0  9-0  10-0           8-0           9-0  10-0 

Poplar 65  73             80             70             88  100 

Fir 75  78             85             75             93  -  105 

PORCH   NEWELS 

4x4  5x5  6x6  Balusters— Poplar  about  1  Ib  each 

4-0         4-0  4-0  Spindles— Poplar  about  \  Ib  each. 

Poplar 6*lbs  11    Ibs  16    Ibs. 

Fir 7    Ibs  Hi  Ibs  l^i  Ibs. 

MANTELS 

The  Woodwork  for  1  Mantel  will  weigh  about  300  Ibs. 
The  Tile  for  1  Mantel  will  weigh  about    75  Ibs. 

The  Grate  for  1  Mantel  will  weigh  about    75  Ibs. 

STAIRWORK 

6x6  Starting  Newels  about  30  Ibs.  5x5  Angle  Newels  about  25  Ibs. 

Stair  Rail  per  ft  about  2J  Ibs.  Stair  Balusters  each  about  2  Ibs. 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


409 


WEIGHT  OF   LUMBER 

Southern  Lumber  Manufacturers'  Association 
WEIGHTS  OF  YELLOW  PINE.     The  schedule  marked  "A" 
applies  from  short  leaf  pine  district.     The  schedule  marked 
"B"  applies  from  long  leaf  district.     Revised  and  adopted  at 
Memphis,  Jan.  15,  1902. 


"SCHEDULE  "A"  Lbs 

Flooring  if  .Plain  Back 2,000 

Flooring  if  Hollow  Back 1,900 

Ceiling,  f" 1,000 

Ceiling,  \" '. 


Ceiling,  |". 
'„  \"  • 


1 ,300 

.1,500 

Ceiling,  1" 1,800 

Siding  from  1"  stock 1,000 

Siding  from  U"  stock 1,250 

Drop  Siding  and  Moulded  Casing.  1,800 

Moulded  Base 2,000 

Finish,  inch,  S  2  S 2,500 

Finish,  H,  li  &  2",  S  2  S .  .  .2,700 

Finish,  1,  1J,  1J  and  2",  Rough.  .3,100 

Shiplap,  D  &  M 2,300 

Grooved  Roofing 2,400 

Com.  Boards  and  Fencing,  SIS 

or  2S 2,500 

Com.  Boards,  and  Fencing,Rough  3,200 
2x4,  2x6  and  2x8,  S  1  S  1  E,  to  If  ...2,500 

2x4,  2x6  and  2x8,  Rough 3,200 

2x10  and  2x12,  S  1  S  1  E,  to  If  .  ...2.600 

2x10  and  2x12,  Rough 3,200 

2x14  and  3x12,  S  1  S  1  E 3,200 

2x14  and  3x12,  Rough 3,700 

4x4  and  6x6,  S  1  S  1  E 3,200 

4x4  and  6x8,  Rough 4,000 

8x8  and  Over,  Rough 4,000 


SCHEDULE  "B"  Lbs 

Flooring,  ifxSJ.  .  .  .2,100 

Flooring,  ifxSJ 2,300 

Ceiling,  f" 1,000 

Ceiling,  I" 1,300 

Ceiling,  |" 1,600 

Ceiling,  \" 1,900 

Bevel  Siding,  from  1"  stock 1,000 

Bevel  Siding,  from  \\"  stock.  .  .1.400 

Drop  Siding,  |x5i" 2,000 

Moulded  Casing,  ifx4J  to  5J".  .2,000 
Moulded  Base  if*  from  8, 10  and 

and  12",  Stock 2,100 

Finish,  inch  S  2  S  to  H 2,600 

Finish,  11,  1 1,  and  2",  S  2  S  to 

Standard  Thickness 2,800 

Finish,  Rough 3,400 

Shiplap,  D.&  M..  if 2.500 

Grooved  roofing  if* 2,600 

Common  Boards,  Si  S  or  2  S 

to  if"  2,700 

Fencing,  S  1  S  to  if" 2,700 

Common  Boards  and  Fencing, 

Rough 3,400 

2x2,  2x6  and  2x8,  S  1  S  1  E, 

to  1|  2,700 

2x4,  2x6  and  2x8,  Rough 3,400 

2x10  and  2x12,  S  1  S  1  E,  to  If  ..,2,800 

2x10  and  2x12,  Rough 3,400 

2x14  and  3x12,  S  and  E,  \  off 

g'n 3,600 

2x14  and  3x12  Rough,  Green  .  .4,200 
4x4  and  6x6.  S  and  E,  Green . .  .  3,600 
4x4  and  6x6.  Rough,  Green...  .4,200 

6x8  and  Over,  Rough 4,300 

6x8  and  Over,  S  4  S,  Green...  .3,800 


NORTHERN   WEIGHTS 


Pine  and  Hemlock 

Norway  and  Y  P 

Oak  and  Walnut 

Ash  and  Maple 

Oregon  and  Wash.  Fir. 


Dry  Partly  Seasoned 
2500      2700 
3000      4000 
4000      5000 
3500      4000 


2800 


3000 


Green 

3000 
5000 


3300 


WEIGHTS   OF    LUMBER,    ETC,    DRY 


Flooring,  Dressed  and  Matched,  per  1  000'  .............    1  ,800  Ibs 

Poplar  Box  Boards,  per  1,000'  ..................................     2,000  Ibs 

Siding,  Dressed,  per  1  ,000' 


Ceiling,  f"  Thick,  per  1,000' 


800  Ibs 
800  Ibs 
900  Ibs 


Ceiling,  \"  Thick,  per  1  ,000'  .................  . 

Boards,  Dressed,  One  Side,  per  1,000  ............................     2,000  Ibs 


410 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Weights  of  Lumber,  Etc.,  Dry— Continued 

Boards,  and  Dimension,  Rough,  per  1,000'' 

Shingles,  per  1,000  pcs 

Lath,  per  1,000'pcs 

Pickets,  Dressed,  per  1,000  pcs 

Pickets,  Rough,  per  1,000  pcs 

Weight  of  Mouldings,  1x1",  per  100  If,  15  Ibs. 

WEIGHTS  OF  HARDWOOD  FLOORING 


Flooring  Weighs,  per  1,000'. 
Flooring  Weighs,  per  1,000'. 
Flooring  Weighs,  per  1,000'. 
Flooring  Weighs,  per  1,000'. 
and  Thicker  Weighs,  1,000'. 


2,400  Ibs 

240  Ibs 

500  Ibs 

1 ,800  Ibs 

2,400  Ibs 


1,000  Ibs 
1,200  Ibs 
1,500  Ibs 
2,000  Ibs 
2,500  Ibs 


LUMBER    RECKONER 


Length  in  Feet 

Size  in 

1 

In 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

20 

22 

24 

26   28 

30 

32 

2x4 

6* 

8 

95 

10* 

12 

134 

14* 

16 

174  18* 

20 

21| 

2x6 

10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

20 

22 

24 

26   28 

30 

32 

2x8 
2  xlO 

134 

16* 

16 
20 

18$ 
234 

31 

24 
30 

26* 
334 

294 
36* 

32 

40 

34*  374 
434  46* 

40 
50 

42f 
681 

2  x!2 

20 

24 

28 

32 

36 

40 

44 

48 

52   56 

60 

64 

2  x!4 
2  x!6 

234 
26* 

28 
32 

32* 
374 

374 
42* 

42 

48 

46* 
534 

514 
58* 

56 
64 

60*   654 
69i   74* 

70 
80 

ill 

24x12 

25 

30 

35 

40 

45 

50 

55 

60 

65   70 

75 

80 

24x14 
24x16 

334 

35 
40 

40$ 
46* 

46* 
534 

524 
60 

584 
66* 

64* 
734 

70 
80 

III 

81* 
934 

874 
100 

93* 
106| 

3x6 

15 

18 

21 

24 

27 

30 

33 

36 

39 

42 

45 

48 

3x8 

20 

24 

28 

32 

36 

40 

44 

48 

52 

56 

60 

64 

3  xlO 

25 

30 

35 

40 

45 

50 

55 

60 

65 

70 

75 

80 

3  x!2 

30 

36 

42 

48 

54 

60 

66 

72 

78 

84 

90 

96 

3  x!4 

35 

42 

49 

56 

63 

70 

77 

84 

91 

98 

105 

112 

3  x!6 

40 

48 

56 

64 

72 

80 

88 

96 

104 

112 

120 

128 

4x4 

134 

16 

18* 

214 

24 

26* 

294 

32 

34* 

374 

40 

42f 

4x6 

20 

24 

28 

32 

36 

40 

44 

48 

52 

56 

60 

64 

4x8 

26* 

32 

374 

42* 

48 

534 

58* 

64 

694   74* 

80 

85* 

4  xlO 

334 

40 

46f 

534 

60 

66* 

734 

80 

86*  934 

100 

106f 

4  x!2 

40 

48 

56 

64 

72 

80 

88 

96 

104 

112 

120 

128 

4  x!4 

46* 

56 

654 

74* 

84 

934 

102* 

112 

1214 

130* 

140 

1494 

6x6 

30 

36 

42 

48 

54 

60 

66 

72 

78 

84 

90 

96 

6x8 

40 

48 

56 

64 

72 

80 

88 

96 

104 

112 

120 

128 

6  xlO 

50 

60 

70 

80 

90 

100 

110 

120 

130 

140 

150 

160 

6  x!2 

60 

72 

84 

96 

108 

120 

132 

144 

156 

168 

180 

196 

6  x!4 

70 

84 

98 

112 

126 

140 

154 

168 

182 

196 

210 

224 

6  x!6 

80 

96 

112 

128 

144 

160 

176 

192 

208   224 

240 

256 

8x8 
8  xlO 

534 
663 

64 
80 

74| 
934 

854 
106* 

96 

120 

106* 
1334 

1174 
146* 

128 
160 

138*  1494 
1734  186* 

160 
200 

170* 
213* 

8  x!2 

80 

96 

112 

128 

144 

160 

176 

192 

208   224 

240 

256 

8  x!4 
10  xlO 

934 
83| 

112 
100 

130* 
116| 

11494 
1334 

168 
150 

lief 

2054 
1834 

224 
200 

242*  2614 
216*  2334 

280 
250 

298* 
266* 

10  x!2 

100 

120 

140 

160 

180 

200 

220 

240 

260  1  280 

300 

320 

lOx  14 
10  x!6 

1163 
133i 

1140 
160 

163J 
186| 

186* 
2134 

210 
240 

2334 
266* 

256* 
2934 

280 
320 

3034 
346* 

326* 
3734 

350 
400 

373i 

426* 

12  x!2 

120 

144 

168 

192 

216 

240 

264 

288 

312 

336 

360 

384 

12  x!4 

140 

168 

196 

224 

252 

280 

308 

336 

364 

392 

420 

448 

12  x!6 

160 

192 

224 

256 

288 

320 

352 

384 

416  I  448 

480 

512 

14  x!4 
14  x!6 

1634 
186^ 

196 
224 

228^ 
261  i 

2614 
2983 

294 
336 

326* 
3734 

3594 
410* 

392 
448 

424*  4574 
4854  522* 

490 
560 

522* 
597J 

WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


411* 


There  are  several  books  and  devices  which  save  the 
trouble  of  using  the  above  table.  I  have  used  a  little  book 
sold  by  B.  L.  Jenks,  Cleveland,  O.,  for  several  years. 


TABLE  OF  BOARD  MEASURE 


Width 

Length 

10 

12 

JM 

16 

18 

20 

4  .. 

3J 

4 

5J 

6 

6| 

5  

4J 

5 

5| 

6$ 

7i 

8} 

6  

„  5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

7 

55 

7 

8} 

w 

10J 

Hf 

s 

.  .  .  6$ 

8 

9\ 

10$ 

12 

13J 

9 

7i 

9 

10i 

12 

13i 

15 

10 

8J 

10 

11$ 

13J 

15 

16f 

11  .  . 

9fc 

11 

125 

14$ 

16J 

18J 

12  

.10 

12 

14 

16 

18 

20 

13  

10| 

13 

15J 

17i 

19J 

21$ 

14  

11$ 

14 

16J 

18$ 

21 

23  J 

15  

12i 

15 

11  i 

20 

22i 

25 

16  

13j 

16 

18$ 

21J 

24 

26f 

17  

14J 

17 

19! 

22$ 

25J 

28  J 

18... 

..15 

18 

21 

24 

27 

30 

FORM   SHEET   FOR  BILLS  OF  MATERIAL 

Amount 


No.  of 
Pieces 

Description 

Size 

Length 

Quan'y 

Rate 

Material 

Labor 

40 
200 
180 

100 
? 

Sills 
Joists 
Studs 

Bbls  Portland 
Crushed  Stone 
Sand 

White  Lead 

6x8 
2  x  12 
2x6 

20 
16 
18 

3200 
3200 
3240 

9640 

$25 
23 
21 

8 

$1.80 
1.75 
1.00 

$0.07 

$81.00 
73.60 
68.05 

$77.15 

100  tons 
55  yds 

400  Ibs 

$221.65 

$77.15- 

$180.00 
175.00 
55.00 

$410.00 

$135.0O 

$28.00 

412 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


WAGES  TABLE 

FOR    TWENTY    OR    THIRTY   AMERICAN    CITIES 
(The  rate  is  given  in  cents  per  hour.) 


Masons  and  Bricklayers 

Carpenters 

Structural  Iron  Setters 

Hoisting  Engineers 

Sheet  Metal  Workers 

Roofers 

Plumbers,  Steam  and  Gas  Fitters 

Lathers 

Plasterers 

Stone  and  Marble  Cutters  and  Setters 

Cement  Finishers 

Tile  Setters 

Painters 

Laborers  and  Hod  Carriers 

Note: — Stone  masons'  wages  are  usually  from  five  to  ten  cents  below  brick- 
layers'. 

The  wages  in  the  high  column  are  usually  owing  to  special  circumstances, 
such  as  the  large  amount  of  building  in  San  Francisco.  While,  of  course,  they 
vary  from  year  to  year  the  table  gives  a  fair  average. 

WEIGHTS  AND    MEASURES 

LENGTH  SURFACE 

12  inches  =  1  foot  44  square  inches  =  1  sq.  ft 

3  ft.          =1  yd.  9  sq.  ft.                =  1  sq.  yd. 

5i  yds.     =  1  rod  640  acres               =  1  sq.  mile 
40  rods      =  1  furlong 
8  fur.        =  1  mile 

SQUARE 

A  square  in  the  building  trades  is  100  sq.  ft. 
CUBIC  OR  SOLID  WEIGHT 

1728  cu.  in.       =  1  cu.  ft.  16  ounces  =  1  pound  (Ib.) 

27  cu.  ft.        =  1  cu.  yd.        2000  pounds  (Ibs.)  =  1  ton 


Average 

Highest 

Lowest 

65 

87  Yz 

50 

45 

62  yz 

30 

51 

62  y2 

40 

51 

75 

40 

43 

62  y?. 

35 

42 

62  y* 

30 

58 

81 

'.0 

48 

62  H 

30 

61 

87  y2 

50 

53 

70 

45 

48 

75 

35 

55 

75 

40 

41 

56 

30 

29 

50 

20 

128  cu.  ft. 
2150.42  cu.  in 


=  1  cord 
=  1  bushel 


2240  pounds 


1  long  ton 


DECIMAL   EQUIVALENTS   OF   INCHES,    FEET,   AND   YARDS 


Frac.  of 
an  Inch 
1-16  = 

3-16  - 
5-16  - 

j-i.  = 

9-16  = 
11-16  = 
13-16  = 


Dec.  of 
an  Inch 
:  .0625  = 
=  .125  = 
=  .1875  = 
«  .25 
.3125  = 
.375   = 
.4375  = 
.5 

.5625  = 
.625  = 
.6875  = 
.75 

.8125  : 
.875  = 


Dec.  of 
a  Foot 
.00521 
.01041 
.01562 
.02083 
.02604 
.03125 
.03645 
.04166 
.04688 
.05208 
.05729 
.06250 
.06771 
.07291 


Ins.   Feet   Yards 


1  =  .0833  =  .0277 

2  =  .1666  =  .0555 

3  =  .25  =  .0833 

4  =  .3333  =  .1111 

5  =  .4166  =  .1389 

6  =  .5  =  .1666 

7  =  .5833  =  .1944 

8  =  .666  =  .2222 

9  =  .75  =  .25 

10  =  .8333  =  .2778 

11  =  .9166  =  .3055 
12-1.  -  .3333 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


413 


SQUARE    FEET    OF    RADIATING    SURFACE    OF    PIPE 
PER    LINEAL    FOOT 

On  all  lengths  over  one  foot,  fractions  less  than  tenths  are  added 
to  or  dropped. 


Size  of  Pipe 


COn 

3* 

3 

1 

H 

H 

2 

2* 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

.3 

i 

.275 

.346 

.434 

.494 

.622 

.753 

.916 

1.175 

1.455 

1.739 

1.996 

2.257 

2 

.5 

.7 

.9 

1. 

1.2 

1.5 

1.8 

2.4 

2.9 

3.5 

4. 

4.5 

3 

.8 

1. 

1.3 

1.5 

1.9 

2.3 

2.7 

3.5 

4.4 

5.2 

6. 

6.8 

4 

1.1 

1.4 

1.7 

2. 

2.5 

3. 

3.6 

4.7 

5.8 

7. 

8. 

9. 

5 

1.4 

1.7 

2.2 

2.4 

3.1 

3.8 

4.6 

5.8 

7.3 

7.7 

10. 

11.3 

6 

1.6 

2.1 

2.6 

2.9 

3.7 

4.5 

5.5 

7. 

8.7 

10.5 

12. 

13.5 

7 

1.9 

2.4 

3. 

3.4 

4.4 

5.3 

6.4 

8.2 

10.2 

12.1 

14. 

15.8 

8 

2.2 

2.8 

3.5 

3.9 

5. 

6. 

7.3 

9.4 

11.6 

13.9 

16. 

18. 

9 

2.5 

3.1 

3.9 

4.4 

5.6 

6.8 

8.2 

10.6 

13.1 

15.7 

18. 

20.3 

10 

2.7 

3.5 

4.3 

4.9 

6.2 

7.5 

9.1 

11.8 

14.6 

17.4 

20. 

22.61 

11 

3. 

3.8 

4.8 

5.4 

6.8 

8.3 

10. 

12.9 

16. 

19.1 

22. 

24.9 

12 

3.3 

4.1 

5.2 

5.9 

7.5 

9. 

11. 

14.1 

17.4 

20.9 

24. 

27.1 

13 

3.6 

4.5 

5.6 

6.4 

8.1 

9.8 

11.9 

15.3 

18.9 

22.6 

26. 

29.4 

14 

3.8 

4.8 

6.1 

6.9 

8.7 

10.5 

12.8 

16.5 

20.3 

24.3 

28. 

31.6 

15 

4.1 

5.2 

6.5 

7.4 

9.3 

11.3 

13.7 

17.6 

21.8 

26.1 

30. 

33.9 

16 

4.4 

5.5 

6.9 

7.9 

10. 

12. 

14.6 

18.8 

23.2 

27.8 

32. 

36.1 

17 

4.7 

5.9 

7.4 

8.4 

10.6 

12.8 

15.5 

20. 

24.7 

29.5 

34. 

38.4 

18 

5. 

6.2 

7.8 

8.9 

11.2 

13.5 

16.5 

21.2 

26.2 

31.3 

36. 

40.6 

19 

5.2 

6.6 

8.3 

9.4 

11.8 

14.3 

17.4 

22.3 

27.6 

33.1 

38. 

42.9 

20 

5.5 

6.9 

8.7 

9.9 

12.5 

15. 

18.3 

23.5 

29.1 

34.8 

40. 

45.2 

21 

5.8 

7.3 

9.1 

10.4 

13. 

15.8 

19.2 

24.7 

30.5 

36.5 

42. 

47.4 

22 

6. 

7.6 

9.6 

10.9 

13.7 

16.5 

20.2 

25.9 

32. 

38.3 

44. 

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52.9 

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101.6 

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12.7 

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54. 

67. 

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55.2 

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48 

13.2 

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83.5 

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108.4 

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13.5 

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110.5 

50 

13.8 

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31.1 

37.6 

45.8 

58.7 

72.7 

87. 

100. 

112.8 

NOTE:    The  figure  piven  after  the  decimal  point  represents  so  many  inches  and 
Dot  the  decimal  part  ol  feet. 


PLASTER  TABLES 

DIRECTIONS 

FOR  USING  THE  FOLLOWING  TABLES,  WHICH  ANY  BUILDER 

AND   CONTRACTOR    WILL    FIND    VERY   VALUABLE 

AS  EACH  TABLE  HAS   BEEN  VERIFIED  AND 

CAN   BE  RELIED   UPON  AS  CORRECT 

8^"  These  tables  give  the  number  of  square  yards  and  feet  in 
several  thousand  sized  rooms. 

EXAMPLE 

To  obtain  the  number  of  square  yards  in  a  room  12X15X7. 
Turn  to  the  table  giving  measurement  of  rooms  with  7-foot  ceil- 
ing; follow  down  the  column  of  figures  on  the  left  until  you  come 
to  12,  then  follow  the  figures  to  the  right  until  you  come  to  the 
figures  directly  under  the  figure  15,  at  the  top  of  the  page;  the 
answer  is  62  square  yards.  When  the  half-foot  comes  in  the 
dimensions  of  a  room,  both  ways,  take  the  next  largest  number  on 
one  side.  When  it  comes  on  one  side  only,  add  one  yard  and  it 
will  be  close. 

For  ordinary  rooms  the  chances  are  that  closer  results  will  be 
obtained  by  using  the  tables  than  by  tedious  figuring.  A  single 
mistake  in  taking  oft"  quantities  may  spoil  an  estimate  far  more 
than  any  trifle  of  a  few  inches  as  to  the  width  or  length  of  a  room. 

It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  the  rooms  are  figured  "solid," 
or  without  any  deductions  for  openings,  which  is  a  different  method 
from  the  one  in  use  all  through  the  "Estimator."  Allowance  can 
be  made  for  this.  No  other  method  could  be  used  in  a  table,  as 
no  two  rooms  are  alike  with  respect  to  openings. 

The  tables  are  copyrighted  by  the  United  States  Gypsum  Com- 
pany, and  are  used  here  by  permission. 


414 


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420 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


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WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


421 


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422 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


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WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 


423 


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424 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


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WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES  425 

HAND  VERSUS   MACHINE  "LABOR. 

The  following  data  are  from  actual  work  done,  and  are 
reliable.  In  many  industries  the  hand  method  has  gone 
altogether,  but  in  quite  a  number  of  others  it  still  holds  the 
field, -to  at  least  some  extent.  Occasionally,  even  in  our  age, 
the  old  method  has  to  be  relied  on,  as  in  mining  camps  and 
mountain  regions  where  machinery  has  not  yet  been  intro- 
duced, but  where  preparations  are  being  made  for  it. 

The  following  records  are  of  value  for  this  and  other  work, 
and  are  here  presented  in  shape  for  general  use.  The  time 
is  given  in  hours  and  minutes  for  one  person,  and  not  for 
two,  as  in  the  rest  of  the  book. 

These  tables  are  reliable, — but  I  always  suspect  a  man 
who  pretends  to  too  much  accuracy  in  estimating.  Even  in 
mathematics  we  find  that  it  is  often  impossible  to  get  some 
of  our  figures  correct.  The  exact  area  of  a  circle  has  never 
yet  been  found.  Patient  men  have  carried  out  the  decimals 
to  600  places,  and  given  up  the  task.  Perhaps  600  more 
would  be  figured  out  without  finding  a  place  to  stop.  The 
first  127  are  given  below,  and  they  are  enough  for  ordinary 
use.  The  other  473  are  only  for  the  contractors  who  need 
them  in  their  business. 

To  get  the  exact  circumference  of  a  circle  you  must  not 
multiply  by  3  1-7  or  3.146,  but  by  the  600  decimals.  Even 
then  you  will  not  be  correct.  So  it  is  best  not  to  pretend 
to  be  too  accurate.  For  probably  thousands  of  years  men 
have  tried  to  "square  the  circle,"  or  to  find  out  the  exact 
size  of  a  square  that  holds  the  same  area  as  a  given  circle. 
The  contract  is  still  open  for  any  one  to  sign. 

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028844197369399375105 
820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148 
0865132723066470938446 

About  the  time  this  table  was  being  printed  I  was  making 
an  estimate  on  more  than  a  score  of  granite  columns  3'  in 
diameter  and  over  20'  long.  At  least  a  hint  of  the  time  re- 
quired to  manufacture  them  is  given  in  the  first  table  which 
includes  a  marble  column  2'  in  diameter  and  about  16'  long. 
Hints  are  sometimes  useful. 


426 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


BRICK   AND    STONE   WORK 


Description 

Quantity 

Handwork 

Machine 

Propor- 
tion 

Making  common  brick 

1000 
1000 

100-ft. 
52 
14  If 
10  If 
1 
20  If 

112  If 

48  sq.  ft. 
100  sq.  ft. 

18  If 
100  If 
106 

5 
8 
8 
10 
35 
25 

1 
1 
1 

25 
100 

30 

1 
100 
100 
100 
10  tons 
216 
100 

Hrs. 
20 
33 

8 
8303 
246 
31 
388 
106 

244 
75 
64 

60 
134 
35 

12 
60 
92 
4 
20 
6000 

155 
82 
234 

79 
650 

89 

30 
504 
36 
166 
11 
400 
50 

Mins. 
36 
52 

44 
23 
56 
10 
35 
22 

30 
39 

18 
10 
10 
37 

39 

47 

9 
40 

10 
10 

12 
40 
32 

Hrs. 

7 
8 

2 
653 
137 
18 
321 
31 

59 
38 
9 

21 
21 
29 

9 
10 
11 
3 
6 
11 

44 
7 
104 

23 
10 

14 

1 
131 
11 
101 

8 
78 
4 

Mins. 
30 
43 

12 
26 
25 
46 
15 
2 

46 
40 
6 

36 
42 
10 

57 
7 
30 
20 
44 
10 

43 
52 
30 

23 

50 
22 

50 
15 
4 

25 

3  to  1 
4tol 

4  to  1 
13  to  1 
2  tol 
2tol 

3  to  1 

4  to  1 
2tol 
7  to  1 

3  to  1 
6tol 

6  to  1 
8  to  1 

•3  tol 
537  to  1 

3*  tol 

10i  to  1 
2tol 

4  to  1 
65  tol 

5i  to'l 

22  to  1 
4  to  1 
3  tol 
lUol 

5  to  1 
11  to  1 

Making  paving  brick 

Making  sand  and  cement  sewer  pipe, 
9"                    

Granite  balusters,  2'  4"  long,  base  4|" 
x6",  cap  3^"x6"  
Carving  granite  block  5j"  wide    f" 
relief,  Romanesque    

Tracing  ivy  leaf  design  on  polished 
granite  block.    Design,  4"  wide  .  .  . 
Cutting  marble  column,  15'  9"  long, 
diam.  at  base,  2'  1  *",  at  top,  1'  10".  . 
Cutting  marble  cornice  102",  O.  G., 
double  fillet,  Q.  R.  section  
Cutting    marble     wainscoting     cap, 
fillet  and  O.  G.  .        .                

Dressing  granite,  6-cut  work  

Dressing  granite,  6-cut  work  
Cutting   iV'xli"  flashing  groove    in 
granite  block    

Cutting     f"xl"    flashing    groove    in 

Cutting  l"  and  2"  letters  in  polished 

Cutting  4"  letters,    10-cut  finish,  in 
polished  granite  slab    

I*olishing  granite,  sq.  ft  

Sawing  marble  slabs,  8'  4"xl/'  .    .   . 

Cutting  granite  urn,  20"  high,  diam- 
eter of  bowl,  IS",  of  neck,  8"    
Cutting  marble  urn,  24",  10",  5*  
Cutting  granite  vase,  30",  18",  8"  ... 
Cutting  sandstone  window  sills,  7"x 
5"x4' 

Breaking  100  cu.  yds.  stone 

Drilling    2$"    holes,     18"    deep,    in 
granite  rock    

Drilling  2"  hole,  12'  deep  in  hard  blue 

Quarrying  granite,  cu.  ft  
Quarrying  granite,  cu.  ft  
Quarrying  granite,  cu.  ft  

Quarrying  limestone   

WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 
WOODWORK 


427 


Description 

Quantity 

Handwork 

Machine 

Propor- 
tion 

Making  oak  bookcase,  3'  7"x5'  6".  .  .  . 
Making  open  oak  bookcase,  2'  6"x5'.  . 
Cutting  out  lumber  for  No.  1  cases 

12 
12 

Hrs. 
654 
480 

24 
48 
120 
120 
36 
48 
120 

36 
36 
6 
120 

443 
28 
90 
20 
84 
13 
6 
24 
24 
18 
18 
18 
11 
49 

364 
1224 

792 
470 

970 
40 
110 

Mins. 
40 

Hrs. 
157 
43 

2 
2 
9 
3 
156 
1 
4 

4 
4 

60 

108 
8 
2 
6 
3 
2 
1 
4 
11 

1 
13 

66 

287 

280 
39 

182 
4 
4 

Mins. 
14 
12 

6 
24 
45 

53 
45 

48 
5 
11 

40 
8 
24 
21 
31 
11 
44 
8 
50 
24 
12 
48 
5 

45 
31 

30 

4tol 
lOtol 

9tol 
20  to  1 
12tol 
40  to 
18  to 
25  to 
30  to 

8  to 
8  to 
33  to 
2  to 

4  to  1 
3tol 
37  to  1 
3  to  1 
24  to  1 
6  to  1 
4  to  1 
5  to  1 
2  to 
45  to 
90  to 
22  to 
10  to 
4  to  1 

5  to  1 
4tol 

3  to  1 
12  to  1 

5toi 
10  to  1 
26tol 

Same  for  No.  2  

Planing  and  jointing  lumber  for  No.l  . 
Same  for  No  2 

Smoothing   before   putting    together, 
No   1 

Same  for  No.  2      .        ...            ... 

Lock  mortising  for  No.  1  

Making  plain  drawer  pine  bureaus  .  .  . 
Making     plain     4-drawer     walnut 
bureaus   16"x42" 

12 
12 

Cutting  lumber  for  No.  1,  above.  .  .  . 
Same  for  No.  2 

Planing,  jointing  and  gluing,  No.  1  .  . 
Same  on  No.  2  

Dovetailing  drawers,  No.  1    
Grooving,  No.  1  

•• 

•• 

Smoothing   No   1 

Molding  No.  2  

Tenoning  No.  2    

Drawer  fitting  No.  2 

Lock  fitting  No.  2*   ... 

Clothes  horses,  3'x4'  

12 
12 
12 

12 
12 

1 

Oak    combination    desks    and    book- 
case^,  28"x54"xl2"  deep,  carved  lids 
Oak,  8  drawer.fl  at  top  desks,  28"x48" 
x30"  high  

Walnut  9  drawer,  flat  top  desks,  27x48 
x30"  high    

Ladies'  oak  desks,  26"x42"xl4"  deep  . 
Sideboards,   oak  antique,    quartered, 
7'x8',  2  cupboards,     5    drawers,    5 
shelves  

Making  moldings  for  above  
Making  curved  work  for  above  

*A  lock  fitting  machine  has  a  capacity  of  1300  per  day. 


428 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Wood  Work  —Continued 


Description 

Quantity 

Handwork 

Carving  above    

Hrs. 
300 
4 
210 

1380 
354 

117 
40 
26 
103 
58 
9 
12 

462 
696 
487 
37 
62 
25 
25 
150 
83 

196 
144 
27 
10 

1385 
325 
75 
100 
100 
150 

702 
120 
100 
75 

Mins. 

30 

40 
15 
30 

30 

30 
30 
30 

20 
50 

30 

1 

Dovetailing  drawers      

Putting  together  above  
Oak    dining   tables,    6'x4',    5   leaves, 
carved  feet,  round  ends    
Walnut  tables,  6'x3'4",  3  leaves    .... 
Poplar,  kitchen  tables,  36"x48",  square 

12 

12 

12 
1  cord 
1  cord 
12 
12 

Preparing  kindling  wood,  6*  pine  .  .  . 
Preparing  kindling  wood,  9"  pine  .  .  . 
Ladders  30  ft.  spruce  and  oak  

Stepladders,  6  ft.  spruce  

Planing  for  30-ft.  ladders  

Boring  for  above    

Making  W.  P.  outside  blinds,  27"x63" 
3  sections,  rolling  slats    

50    pr. 
50   pr- 
50   pr. 

As  above,  but  31x65,  stationary  slats  . 
As  above,  but  Y.  P.,  rolling  slats  

Rabbeting  No.  1    

Smoothing  No.  1  

Planing  for  No  2 

Tenonin^  for  No  2 

Brackets,  oak,  mantel,  9x15",  carved 

12 

12 

Brackets,  rough  carving  above  
Brackets,  whitewood,  shelf,  5"xll"  .  . 
Shaping  above            ...            .... 

Making  cherry,  5  panels  door,  3'  x  6' 
6",  solid  panels,  veneered  rails  and 
stiles    

50 

Cutting  out  lumber  for  above  
Cutting  veneering  on  above  

Planing  after  gluing      

Cutting  lumber  to  exact  size  
Doors,  oak,  4-pan,  2'8"x6'10"  raised 

50 

Planing  for  above              .    . 

Mortising  for  above    

Tenoning  for  above  

Machine 


Hrs. 

98 

0 

18 


700 
134 

15 
3 
2 

46 

14 

1 

2 


114 
56 

110 
4 
3 
3 
3 
1 
2 

63 

24 

3 


510 
20 
12 
16 

8 

32 

131 

8 
4 


Mins. 


30 


WEIGHTS     AND     MEASURES 

Wood   Work  — Continued 


429 


Description 

Quantity 

Handwork 

Machine 

Propor- 
tion 

Doors,  W.  P.,  4-pan.,  O.  G.,  2'4"x6'8" 

50 

1 
50  pr. 

Hrs. 

412 
38 
37 

42 

300 
56 
12 
37 
37 
18 
312 

170 

383 
325 

71 
8 

Mins. 
30 

15 
30 
30 
30 
45 
30 

20 
40 

Hrs. 

87 
5 
10 

12 
21 

1 
2 
2 
2 
30 

9 

92 
71 
16 
2 

Mins. 
30 

15 
30 
30 
15 

30 
15 

30 
20 

5  to  1 
7tol 
3i  to  1 

3Jto  1 

14  to  1 
112  to  1 
10  to  1 
18  to  1 
18tol 
9tol 
10  to  1 

18  to  1 

4  to  1 
4*tol 
4itol 
4  to  1 

Mortising  above         

Tenoning  above  
Mantel,  oak,  60x76",  10"shelf,  12"x36" 
mirror,  piano  finish  

White  pine  window  sash,  4  Its.,  12x24, 

Planing  for  above 

Laying  out  above 

Tenoning  above 

Mortising  above 

Molding  above               

Sash,  Y.  P.,  12  Its.  10x15  
Stair  risers  and  treads,   getting  out, 
3'  wide,  17  R,  16  steps    
Window  frames,  W.  P.,  for  brick, 
2'10'/x6'10'/ 

50  pr. 
10  sets 

50 
50 
50 
5000 

Same  for  frame  houses 

Window  screens  30x30    

Loading  lumber  B.  M  

PIPE  WORK 


Description 

Quantity 

Handwork 

Machine 

Propor- 
tion 

Hrs. 

Mins. 

Hrs. 

Mins. 

Cutting  off  and  threading  3"  iron  pipes 
Tapping  pipe  for  l"  pipe    

100 
100 

100 
26 

40 

6 
1 

40 
5 

16  to  1 
25  to  1 

The  lesson  all  through  is  that  it  is  useless  to  fight  the  machine.  But  the 
hand  figures  are  valuable  for  estimating.  Both  together,  especially  on  mill  work, 
give  a  good  guide  for  pricing  special  stuff. 


430  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

HOW  TO  GET  THE  AREA  OP  A  ROOF 

The  ordinary  rules  are  easily  found  in  any  arithmetic. 
Each  part  or  plane  has  to  be  taken  off  separately.  On  a  cut 
up  roof  it  is  a  tiresome  kind  of  a  job.  There  is  a  quicker 
way  that  is  exact;  and  by  using  it  there  is  no  chance  of 
missing  some  corner. 

The  rule  is,  Get  the  exact  area  of  the  plan  on  the  outside 
of  the  walls,  level  with  the  wall  plate  where  the  rafters  rest, 
and  add  as  follows: 

For  y2  pitch  add  42  per  cent.,  or  142  on  the  rake  to  100  on 
the  level.  This  means  that  every  square  on  the  level  of  a 
half  pitch  roof  requires  42  sq.  ft.  extra  for  the  rake.  Lay 
it  out  on  a  board  and  try  it,  or  better  still,  figure  it  up.  It 
does  not  matter  how  short  or  long,  wide  or  narrow,  any  part 
of  the  roof  is,  this  proportion  must  hold.  If  you  get  the 
exact  area  on  the  level  you  cannot  miss  it  on  the  rake. 
Look  at  No.  11  in  this  book.  If  the  slopes  are  all  the  same 
the  area  is  easily  obtained,  but  you  can  see  what  it  means 
to  figure  it  in  the  old  way. 

TABLE  OF  ROOF  PROPORTIONS  FOR  AREA. 
Pitch  Percentage  Pitch  Percentage 

to  add  to  add 

One-half    42  Three-eighths     25 

One-third    20  Five-eighths     60 

One-fourth 12  Three-fourths    80 

The  three  ordinary  pitches  are  given  first.  See  page  174 
for  definition  of  pitch.  For  an  odd  pitch,  work  the  problem 
in  simple  proportion. 

If  there  is  a  deck  it  is  easily  deducted,  because  100  of 
deck  means  142  of  pitched  surface,  and  simple  proportion 
does  the  rest. 

But  this  rule  applies  only  to  exact  area  on  a  plumb  line 
outside  the  walls,  and  does  not  include  gable  or  cornice  pro- 
jections of  any  kind.  They  are  easily  taken  off  and  added. 
Dormer  roofs,  and  all  kinds  of  little  roofs  are  safely  included, 
but  no  projections. 

EXAMPLE:  Suppose  we  have  a  plan  at  the  level  of  the 
wall  plate  that  measures  40x22'  outside  of  the  walls.  The 
area  is  1008.  For  a  half  pitch  the  roof  is  1432;  a  third,  1210; 
a  fourth,  1129;  three-fourths,  1815.  The  figures  are  not  down 
to  a  fraction,  but  that  is  not  required  on  roof  measurements. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 

COUNTING  THE  COST 

If  you  are  building  with  a  hammer  what  chance  has  your 
work  to  stand  if  another  man  is  destroying  with  a  sledge? 
Of  what  avail  is  a  careful  estimate  if  the  man  in  charge  of 
the  construction  has  practically  no  acquaintance  with 
building,  and  time  required  to  perform  work.  It  would 
need  a  mint  to  keep  some  of  the  theorists  going.  They  ap- 
pear to  have  unbounded  faith  in  the  old  proverb,  "Fill,  and 
fetch  more."  Money  flows,  rather  than  talks  with  them. 
They  can  execute  any  piece  of  work  on  earth  if  careful  at- 
tention is  paid  to  their  primary  want — an  unlimited  supply 
of  money.  What  they  need  is  a  reservoir  of  cash  with  a 
pipe  at  their  side  and  a  full  head  behind  it.  Then  it  would 
be  not  so  much  a  case  of  "Let  her  rip!"  as  of  "Let  her 
flow!" 

Mr.  Carnegie  had  such  a  system  of  keeping  costs  that  the 
men  used  to  grumble  that  they  could  not  get  a  brick  with- 
out the  bookkeeper  knowing  of  it.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
overdoing  this  much  advertised  "system" — such  a  devotion 
to  gathering  useless  details  as  makes  it  necessary  to  spend 
$5  to  keep  track  of  $2.50;  but  the  system  that  cautions  one 
not  to  burn  electric  light,  at  Ic  per  hour,  or  waste  pencils, 
and  keeps  no  record  of  cost  on  $100,000  buildings  is  top 
heavy. 

Nine  building  contractors  out  of  10  are  able  to  tell  how 
much  each  item  cost  'them — how  much  for  sand,  cement,  or 
lumber;  carpenter,  brick,  paint,  or  other  kind  of  labor,  and 
that  without  any  complicated  diagrammatic  nonsense.  The 
contractor  has  to  be  able  to  tell  or  go  into  bankruptcy;  he 
has  to  do  the  work  in  a  simple,  sensible  way,  for  life  is  too 
short  and  money  too  valuable  to  do  it  in  any  other.  The 
poorest  system  that  can  give  actual  costs  in  detail  is  better 
than  the  most  costly  and  elaborate  that  fails  here. 

431 


432  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

There  is  no  use  thinking  that  returns  in  buildings  are 
going  to  compare  in  all  respects  with  careful  estimates;  the 
clever  schoolboy  may  look  for  that  kind  of  work,  but  not 
the  practical  builder.  There  may  be  delays;  the  ground  that 
was  to  have  been  excavated  dry  may  have  been  flooded;  the 
planing  mill  which  gave  the  low  figure  may  have  failed, 
and  the  figure  may  have  to  be  increased  50%;  or  the  expen- 
sive retaining  wall  may  have  been  washed  in.  There  are 
a  score  of  changes  possible,  sometimes  on  the  good  side, 
often  on  the  bad. 

But  if  reasonable  allowances  are  made  there  should  still 
be  a  tolerably  close  resemblance  to  the  estimate  if  it  was 
properly  prepared,  and  is  not  dated  too  far  back  when 
prices  were  different. 

Reference  is  made  elsewhere  to  a  temporary  cement 
house  that  cost  $375  for  a  building  40'xlOO',  1-story. 

Now,  a  builder  would  think  himself  extravagant  if  he 
spent  $375  for  that. 

On  No.  2,  for  example,  a  much  larger  building,  I  put  up 
one  for  perhaps  $50,  but  $75  would  seem  to  the  average 
man  to  be  the  limit.  What  became  of  the  other  $300? 

For  engineering,  there  was  a  charge  of  $350  or  so.  As 
the  owner  did  the  work  by  day  labor  there  was  no  use  for 
any  supervision  except  that  by  a  good  foreman,  yet  the 
"engineering"  cost  $350.  About  $10,  on  such  a  building,  is 
what  contractors  pay  for  their  engineering.  What  of  the 
loss  of  at  least  $300  here? 

The  brickwork  cost  $29  per  M  for  labor  alone.  On  one 
large  building,  as  already  seen,  labor,  high  scaffold  and  pro- 
fit cost  $641;  and  some  pressed  brick  work  is  given  on  page 
93  for  $4.75  to  $5.75  for  labor.  As  the  theoretical  student 
would  say.  "There  is  a  slight  discrepancy  here," — large 
enough,  however,  to  get  a  contractor  into  trouble  unless  he 
had  a  reservoir  behind  him.  There  is  much  virtue  in  a 
reservoir. 

I  remember  once,  years  ago,  making  a  bill  of  material 
which  called  for  a  certain  number  of  brick.  A  theorist 


'  |£f  COUNTING     THE     COST  433 

ordered  over  100,000  more,  on  a  building  having  something 
like  half  a  million.  Some  one  blundered.  They  were  de- 
livered, and  although,  owing  to  a  change,  22,000  extra  were 
used,  there  was  still  a  train  load  to  haul  awray.  The  un- 
loading was  extra,  the  reloading  also,  and  there  were 
enough  left  to  build  a  dbl  flat.  A  contractor  has  to  keep 
costs,  and  that  kind  of  work  does  not  pay.  He  can  not  af- 
ford to  let  this  brick  be  figured  by  logarithms.  They  are 
good — in  their  place — but  too  much  of  a  luxury  near  a  com- 
mon, ordinary  brick  pile. 

You  must  keep  the  cost,  and  put  men  at  work  they  are 
familiar  with.  I  once  knew  of  more  than  8  tons  of  sash 
weights  ordered  and  delivered,  and  not  one  of  them  could 
be  used.  No  carpenter  would  have  ordered  them,  because  he 
knows  the  size  of  window  boxes.  That  bill  amounted  to 
more  than  $200. 

Years  ago  I  knew  of  a  small  building  that  cost  $10,000 
more  than  the  estimate,  and  that  after  all  the  very  large 
allowances  for  extras.  No  one  knew  where  this  small  for- 
tune went.  How  much  did  the  brick  cost?  No  one  knew, 
apart  from  the  woodwork  or  wiring.  How  much  was  the 
labor  on  the  brick  and  carpentry?  "There  is  no  way  of 
finding  out."  No  check  on  waste,  no  division  among  the 
labor  to  see  which  branch  is  at  fault  and  take  the  proper 
course,  no  anything — but  a  big  reservoir  with  a  good  pres- 
sure behind  it.  Keep  costs!  It  pays!  Do  not  figure  paint- 
ing by  the  higher  mathematics.  It  does  not  pay. 

There  is  need  for  technical  man  and  practical  man,  but  it 
is  usually  vanity  that  makes  the  former  believe  he  knows 
his  own  sphere  and  the  other's  also.  While  he  has  been. 
finding  out  about  curves  and  cosines,  or  the  Five  Orders, 
the  other  has  not  been  idle.  The  practical  man  never 
knows  what  the  theoretical  man  knows — but  the  rule  works, 
the  other  way  also.  Both  may  be  educated  to  the  tips  of 
their  fingers,  but  the  education  is  along  different  lines.  The 
one  is  complementary  to  the  other,  and  not  antagonistic, 
and  it  is  only  the  narrow  minded  and  incapable  who  sup- 


434  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

pose  that  either  one  should  be  held  inferior  to  the  other. 
There  are  some  who  seem  to  think  that  all  knowledge  may 
be  held  in  one  head.  They  are  amusing.  It  was  a  wise 
man  who  said  that  God  made  men,  not  man,  in  order  that 
the  one  should  help  the  other. 

I  have  climbed  up  to  the  top  of  "Liberty"  near  New  York 
Harbor.  It  is  made  of  copper,  for  this  metal  lasts.  An 
educated  man  once  asked  what  color  the  copper  cornice 
of  a  building  he  was  superintending  was  to  be  painted. 
His  education  did  not  embrace  the  building  line.  He  was 
out  of  his  element.  Costs  are  seriously  affected  if  the 
wrong  man  is  in  charge.  Can  a  mason  navigate  a  ship? 
Why  go  to  a  blacksmith  to  have  a  prescription  filled. 

If  several  of  the  wrong  men  are  in  charge  the  flow  is 
large  enough  to  tap  a  hole  in  the  reservoir,  especially  when 
"Fill  and  fetch  more,"  is  the  motto,  without  any  check. 
Once  there  was  a  stoical  oriental  potentate  visiting  the 
czar.  The  guest  was  shown  all  the  wonders,  but  scarcely 
paid  any  attention  to  them. 

The  Russians  did  not  like  this,  and  at  last  the  czar  hit 
upon  a  happy  thought,  "Show  him  the  building  accounts  of 
the  Moscow  Railroad,"  he  whispered,  "if  that  does  not  as- 
tonish him  nothing  will." 

When  contractors  visit  your  city  and  refuse  to  be  im- 
pressed take  them  to  some  of  the  railroads  which  lump 
their  labor  returns  in  one  glorious  integer  and  show  them 
that. 

A  few  illustrations  have  been  given  to  point  out  the  ne- 
cessity of  having  a  check  on  labor  returns,  of  insisting  that 
each  trade  shall  be  returned  separately,  so  as  to  see  where 
the  leakage  is,  and  to  show  also  that  while  every  allowance 
must  be  made  for  accidents  and  so  forth,  there  should  be 
a  stop  put  to  wasting  thousands  of  dollars. 

I  have  come  to  the  conclusion:  In  building,  as  in  every- 
thing else,  experience  counts.  In  these  days  all  is  being 
subdivided — there  are  municipal  engineers,  for  example, 
who  confine  their  practice  to  sewers  alone,  others  to  pav- 


COUNTING     THE     COST  435 

Ing,  and  so  forth.  You  can  take  the  sewer  engineer  and  tell 
him  to  go  ahead  and  put  up  a  building,  and  send  the 
builder  to  plan  the  sewer,  but  if  cost  is  any  object  the  other 
course  is  better.  Whatever  the  sewer  man  may  believe,  he 
is  not  long  at  the  work,  even  with  the  "executive  ability"  we 
hear  so  much  about,  before  the  average  apprentice  knows 
through  the  smiles  of  the  men,  that  he  is  a  shining  success 
elsewhere.  He  is  not  worth  $50  per  month  at  the  work — 
to  a  contractor,  he  is  worth  so  much  less  than  that,  that  it 
would  often  pay  to  give  him  $50  per  month  just  to  stay  at 
home.  What  contractor  has  a  purse  deep  enough  to  stand 
a  drain  of  $29  per  M  for  labor  on  brick? 

The  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter  is  just  this:  Do  not 
put  men  at  work  they  are  not  acquainted  with:  Keep 
costs  separate;  for  unless  you  do,  this  book  is  of  no  value  to 
you  any  more  than  it  was  to  a  man  who  told  me  he  did  not 
need  it,  even  while  the  brick  he  was  laying  cost  $10  for 
labor.  He  had  a  pipe  to  the  reservoir.  If  you  have  you  are 
lucky,  and  do  not  have  to  compile  dusty  books. 


CHAPTER  XXX 

ACTUAL  COST  OF  REINFORCED  CONCRETE 

The  reinforced  concrete  system  of  construction  is  becoming 
so  popular  that  it  has  been  considered  well  to  give  more  data 
than  is  contained  in  Chapter  VII.  By  far  the  best  figures  ob- 
tainable are  the  following  from  a  paper  by  Mr.  Leonard  C. 
Wason,  President  of  The  Aberthaw  Construction  Company, 
Boston. 

The  paper  was  presented  at  the  Convention  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Cement  Users  at  Cleveland,  in  January, 
1909,  and  published  in  "  Cement  Age,  "  March  of  the  same 
year. 

Mr.  Wason  is  progressive  enough  to  give  actual  costs  to 
the  public,  unlike  the  old-style  builder  who  keeps  everything 
under  lock  and  key.  He  wishes  the  cost  to  be  so  well  known 
that  bids  will  run  as  reasonably  close  together  on  this  com- 
paratively new  class  of  work  as  on  brickwork  or  cement  side- 
walks. He  gives  the  'figures  for  protection,  and  not  "  for 
pure  philanthropy."  We  are  glad  to  get  them  for  any 
reason. 

Mr.  Wason  says  of  reinforced  concrete  : 

"  In  the  writer's  opinion,  there  is  no  class  of  construction 
where  more  painstaking  skill,  and  often  technical  knowledge, 
is  required,  than  in  reinforced  concrete.  When  well  done,  the 
resulting  building  is  satisfactory  to  the  owner  beyond  that  ob- 
tained from  any  other  material,  and  when  poorly  done,  is  the 
least  desirable,  even  if  not  actually  dangerous.  Concrete  is 
either  good  or  bad.  There  is  no  half-way  state,  and  the  dif- 
ference in  cost  of  materials  to  the  builder,  between  perfect 
results  and  a  dangerous  structure,  is  only  five  per  cent. 
Therefore,  there  is  likely  to  be  serious  injury  done  to  a  rap- 
idly-growing industry  by  novices,  either  on  account  of  igno- 
rance, though  coupled  with  honest,  well-meaning  intent,  or 
through  skinning  a  job  on  which  they  are  sure  to  lose  money. 
Moreover,  the  older  firms  in  the  field  have  little  to  fear  from 
the  beginner,  because  so  much  depends  on  personal  ability  as 

430 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  437 

well  as  experience.  With  growing  competition,  improvements 
are  constantly  being  developed.  The  standard  of  cost  is  not 
yet  fixed,  but  is  being  reduced  steadily.  The  desire  of  reduc- 
ing the  present  wild  bidding  and  having  only  intelligent  com- 
petition, as  well  as  saving  some  poor  builder  a  loss  he  cannot 
afford,  is  the  real  inspiration  of  this  paper.  The  author  has 
undertaken  it  with  the  understanding  that  other  competent 
writers  would  discuss  it  so  that  a  greater  good  will  result. 

METHOD: — In  order  to  have  an  intelligent  understanding  of 
the  meaning  of  the  figures  hereinafter  given,  the  method  of 
collecting  data  will  first  be  described.  When  making  up  an 
estimate  of  the  cost  of  a  building,  in  scaling  the  plans,  it  is 
found  convenient  to  take  off  the  volume  of  excavation  and 
back-filling,  the  cubic  feet  of  footings,  foundation  and  wall, 
the  square  feet  of  forms  for  walls  of  foundations  and  above 
grade,  the  lineal  feet  of  belt  courses,  moldings,  cornices,  etc.; 
also  the  size  of  special  features  of  exterior  treatment.  Simi- 
larly, the  superficial  area  of  column  and  floor  forms  are  meas- 
ured by  themselves.  Concrete  of  each  different  mixture  is 
scaled  off  in  cubic  feet  and  totaled  separately.  Steel  of  each 
kind  is  taken  off  in  pounds.  Granolithic  finished  surfaces  in 
square  feet,  and  so  on,  in  detail,  every  item  is  measured.  As 
the  work  progresses,  it  is  desired  to  know  weekly  how  the 
actual  experience  compares  with  the  estimate  and  at  com- 
pletion to  compile  correctly  the  costs  of  each  item,  to  com- 
pare with  estimate,  and  to  aid  in  obtaining  the  true  cost  of 
future  structures  of  a  similar  kind.  The  method  of  account- 
ing was  developed  to  fit  the  estimate." 

BOOKKEEPING: — The  system  of  bookkeeping  employed  by 
the  Company  is  described,  and  the  paper  goes  on: 

METHOD  OF  ESTIMATING — "Carpenter  work  on  forms  is 
reported  by  the  number  of  square  feet  of  surface  in  contact 
with  the  concrete  erected.  Thus,  walls  are  measured  two 
sides  without  deducting  doors  and  windows,  as  it  is  usual  to 
let  the  form  work  run  straight  across  these  unless  it  is  im- 
possible on  account  of  moldings,  in  which  case  the  framing  of 
the  opening  will  cost  as  much  as  the  form  work  omitted. 


438  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Beam  floors  are  measured  around  the  perimeter  of  the  beam 
and  the  flat  surface  of  the  panel  and  around  the  perimeter  of 
girders.  No  deduction  is  made  for  the  loss  of  area  by  the 
intersection  of  beams  and  girders,  and  small  openings  in  the 
floor  are  not  deducted.  Anything  as  large  as  an  elevator  or 
stairway  is  usually  deducted.  Form  work  for  columns  is 
measured  for  entire  area  of  surface  contact  between  wood 
and  cement,  all  four  sides.  These  reports  are  made  out  on 
the  job  daily  and  sent  to  the  office.  The  bookkeeper  works 
these  reports  up  into  units  of  measurement,  as  cost  of  labor 
per  cubic  foot  of  concrete  and  number  of  cubic  feet  of  con- 
crete per  barrel  of  cement,  number  of  square  feet  of  form 
work  erected,  etc.,  and  from  this  it  is  easy  to  obtain  the  unit 
costs  hereinafter  given.  The  bookkeeper  can  take  the  reports 
of  four  or  five  jobs,  employing  in  the  aggregate  five  or  six 
hundred  men,  and  in  a  single  day  work  up  the  complete  re- 
port for  a  week's  time;  thus  it  will  be  seen  that  there  is 
really  little  extra  labor  involved  in  the  sub-dividing  of  reports 
into  a  useful  form  over  merely  reporting  the  time  so  that 
the  payroll  can  be  accurately  made. 

MASTER  CARD: — When  a  job  is  entirely  completed  and  the 
ledger  account  is  closed,  a  master  card  is  worked  out  giving 
the  complete  history  of  the  cost.  On  one  side  of  the  card  are 
written  the  items  which  went  into  the  original  estimate,  such 
as  excavations,  back-fillings,  footings,  foundations,  columns, 
floors,  walls,  stairs,  etc.  In  parallel  columns  is  placed  the 
actual  amount  of  the  estimate  with  the  actual  experience, 
reduced  to  cost  units,  such  as  cubic  feet,  square  feet  of  form 
work,  etc.,  and  the  percentage  of  profit  or  loss  between  the 
estimate  and  actual  results.  On  the  reverse  side  of  the  card 
the  principal  items  are  worked  out  more  in  detail.  Thus, 
form  work  is  reduced  to  cost  of  labor,  lumber  and  nails,  wire 
or  other  sundries  used  in  the  forms  per  square  foot  of  sur- 
face. Concrete  is  itemized  into  the  superintendent's  general 
labor,  labor  of  mixing  and  placing,  cost  of  cement,  sand, 
stone,  miscellaneous  expenses  such  as  teaming,  plant  and 
other  general  items  reduced  to  cubic  foot  measurement, 
which  makes  the  total  cost  of  the  concrete  in  place  in  each 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  439 

division  of  the  building  itemized  for  ready  reference  when 
making  up  future  estimates  on  work  of  a  similar  character. 
An  exhibit  is  given  of  these  forms  in  an  appendix. 

COST: — It  is  well  known  that  the  costs  of  materials  and  labor 
in  different  parts  of  the  country  vary  somewhat.  It  has  been 
the  writer's  experience  that,  although  the  rate  of  wages  and 
cost  of  materials  vary  somewhat  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  the  variations  frequently  offset  one  another  so  nearly 
that  the  sum  total  of  the  unit  cost  obtained  in  one  place  may 
be  used  in  another. 

PROPORTIONS:— In  general  the  standard  mixture  for  all 
floors  has  been  either  1  : 3  : 6,  or  1  : 2  : 4,  if  the  floor  is  sub- 
jected to  extremely  heavy  loads  and  service.  Walls  are  mixed 
1:3:6  and  columns  usuallyl  :  2  :  4;  in  some  cases  where  they 
are  very  heavily  loaded,  a  richer  mixture  is  used.  As  these 
mixtures  are  common  to  nearly  all  construction,  the  costs 
here  given  may  be  applied  with  little  danger  of  error  from 
neglecting  the  mixture  on  any  work.  Of  course,  it  can  read- 
ily be  understood  that  in  the  large  number  of  jobs  which 
have  entered  into  the  averages  given  (there  being  as  many 
as  eighteen  in  the  case  of  beam  floors)  different  methods  of 
conducting  the  work  have  been  used,  and  many  different  fore- 
men. Therefore,  while  the  general  average  is  doubtless  safe 
for  any  work  of  an  average  character,  some  latitude  may  be 
allowed  the  judgment  in  determining  whether  any  specific 
case  is  likely  to  be  difficult,  easy  or  average.  The  writer  has 
found  quite  a  difference,  for  instance,  in  cost  of  identical 
work  handled  by  different  foremen,  due  to  the  personal  equa- 
tion of  their  painstaking,  supervision  and  ability. 

CLASS  OF  WORK  : — In  the  following  tables  only  typical 
jobs  are  given,  whose  results  are  correctly  known.  It  appears 
to  the  writer  that  the  results  from  a  few  typical  jobs  would 
be  of  more  interest  than  a  mass  of  figures  from  all  kinds, 
eome  of  which  would  be  of  no  value.  Enough  are  given  for 
a  fair  average,  except  in  the  case  of  long  span  flat  slab,  which 
is,  by  comparison,  a  recent  type  of  construction.  The  figures 
for  the  highest,  lowest  and  average  totals  in  the  fourth  and 


440 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


last  columns  are  taken  from  the  vertical  column  in  which 
they  stand  and  have  no  relation  to  the  other  figures  in  their 
horizontal  line." 


COST   OF    FOOTING    AND    MASS    FOUNDATIONS 


Forms  per  Sq.  Ft. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

fc 

1 

Location 

ll 

J 

IE 

13 

!i 

g! 

| 

.2 

?J 

"c 

1 

>-5 

&j 

p 

H 

| 

d 

S1| 

V 

tc 

Slag 

J3 

Pi 

f 

6 

^ 

z 

6" 

O 

M 

<! 

£ 

827 

Power-House 

Greenfield,  Mass    . 

.119 

.077 

.002 

.198 

.065 

.020 

.098 

.092 

.008 

.016 

.299 

824 

Eng.  Foundation, 

Taunton,  Mass  .  .  . 

.054 

.025 

.001 

.080 

.045 

.002 

.065 

.048 

.004 

.017 

.181 

817 

Head  Gates, 

Shawmut,  Me  .... 

.071 

.043 

.003 

.117 

.033 

.001 

.074 

.099 

.003 

.014 

.224 

815 

Canal, 

Lowell,  Mass    .... 

.039 

.025 

.001 

.065 

.025 

.011 

.080 

.078 

.004 

.042 

.240 

807 

Foundation,  Prov- 

incetown,  Mass  .  .  . 

.069 

.043 

.002 

.114 

.039 

.004 

.073 

.099 

.011 

.049 

.275 

783 

Dam,  Mer- 

rimack,  N.  H  

.066 

.037 

.003 

.106 

.081 

.008 

.090 

.055 

.008 

.031 

.273 

598 

Foundation, 

Boston,  Mass  

.011 

.006 

.001 

.018 

.035 

.004 

.061 

.072 

.006 

.010 

.188 

597 

Eng.  Foundation, 

Boston,  Mass  

.095 

.039 

.003 

.137 

.037 

.013 

.061 

.084 

.013 

.015 

.223 

491 

Gas  Holder, 

Springfield,  Mass  . 

.034 

.031 

.002 

.067 

.043 

.001 

.061 

.068 

.005 

.010 

.188 

488 

Foundation, 

Providence,  R.  I.  . 

.016 

.011 

.001 

.028 

.051 

.002 

.047 

.076 

.010 

.010 

.196 

Highest    

.119 

.077 

.003 

.198 

.081 

.020 

.098 

.099 

.013 

.049 

.275 

Lowest 

.016 

.006 

.001 

.018 

.025 

.001 

.047 

.043 

.003 

.010 

.181 

Average  of  10  .... 

.057 

.034 

.002 

.093 

.045 

.007 

.071 

.077 

.007 

.021 

.229 

ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


441 


COST   OF   FOUNDATION    WALLS 


Forms  per  Sq.  Ft. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

1 

$ 

Location 

l| 

1  s 

1 

§g 

1 

0} 

|jj 

^  8 

1 

1 

"O 

"3 

"cj 

*-5 

~  — 

I 

& 

1,3 

IH 

i 

0> 

1 

P 

& 

"o 
H 

O 

** 

£ 

0 

° 

< 

H 

831 

Filter,  Warren, 

R.  I  

.103 

.048 

.004 

.155 

.062 

.037 

.086 

.068 

.012 

.031 

.296 

809 

Tar  Well,  Spring- 

field, Mass  

.071 

.031 

.002 

.104 

.040 

.015 

.094 

.075 

.013 

.040 

.277 

757 

Tunnel,  New 

Bedford,  Mass.  .  .  . 

.048 

.045 

.001 

.094 

.213 

.019 

.203 

.092 

.057 

.015 

.599 

756 

Filter,  Exeter, 

N.  H  

.124 

.067 

.002 

.193 

.064 

.021 

.071 

.116 

.034 

.019 

.325 

729 

Filter, 

Lawrence,  Mass   .  . 

.058 

.042 

.001 

.101 

.046 

.017 

.083 

.054 

.012 

.032 

.244 

708 

Theatre,  Port- 

Land,  Me    

.081 

.024 

.003 

.108 

.112 

.013 

.073 

.078 

.003 

.020 

.303 

685 

Warehouse, 

Portland,  Me    

.053 

.009 

.001 

.063 

.040 

.019 

.060 

.070 

.029 

.017 

.235 

673 

Residence,  North 

Andover,  Mass  .  .  . 

.047 

.019 

.001 

.067 

.108 

.006 

.082 

.045 

.015 

.010 

.266 

*541 

Filter,  Lawrence. 

Mass    

.048 

.035 

.002 

.085 

.055 

.006 

.039 

.027 

.011 

.010 

.148 

637 

Residence,  North 

Andover,  Mass  .  .  . 

.065 

.019 

.001 

.085 

.087 

.012 

.6V72 

.045 

.013 

.010 

.239 

633 

Retaining  Wall, 

Naugatuck,  Conn  . 

.134 

.047 

.001 

.182 

.097 

.018  .056 

.032 

.022 

.010 

.235 

621 

Hospital, 

Waltham,  Mass  .  .  . 

.048 

.028 

.001 

.077 

.043 

.019 

.038 

.063 

.026 

.010 

.199 

544 

Greenhouse, 

Brookline,  Mass  .  . 

.032 

.035 

.001 

.068 

.051 

.007 

.078 

.043 

.013 

.010 

.202 

543 

Hotel, 

Brookline,  Mass  .  . 

.037 

.018 

.001 

.056 

.043 

.002 

.080 

.054 

.010 

.010 

.199 

Highest    

.134 

.048 

.004 

.193 

.213 

.037 

.203 

.116 

.057 

.040 

.599 

Lowest  

.032 

.009 

.001 

.056 

.040 

.002  .038 

.027 

.003 

.010 

.148 

Average 

.068 

.033 

.002 

.103 

.076 

.015 

.080 

.062 

.019 

.017 

.269 

442 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


COST   OF   CONCRETE  COLUMNS 


Job  No. 

Location 

Forms  per  Sq.,Ft. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

Carpenter 
Labor 

Lumber 

Nails  and 
Wire 

H 

Concrete 
Labor 

«l 

o^ 

Cement 

1 

1 

Team  and 
Misc. 

1 

£ 

I 

865 
788 
'762 
747 
733 
732 
731 
685 
499 

Office  Building, 
Portland,  Me    
Coal  Pocket, 
Lawrence,  Mass  .  . 
Mill,  Southbridge, 
Mass 

.133 
.057 
.097 
.093 
.080 
.098 
.071 
.118 
.061 

.133 
.057 
.082 

.039 
.024 
.082 
.022 
.056 
.047 
.051 
.016 
.013 

.082 
.013 
.036 

.001 
.001 
.002 
.001 
.001 
.002 
.002 
.001 
.001 

.002 
.001 
.001 

.173 
.082 
.181 
.116 
.137 
.147 
.124 
.135 
.075 

.181 
.075 
.130 

.064 
.166 
.073 
.110 
.108 
.089 
.070 
.087 
.095 

.166 
.064 
.096 

.004 
.003 
.056 
.014 
.048 
.043 
.028 
.027 
.019 

.056 
.003 
.027 

.087 
.073 
.107 
.062 
.100 
.069 
.072 
.087 
.109 

.109 
.062 
.085 

.084 
.041 
.035 
.038 
.037 
.055 
.058 
.070 
.027 

.084 
.027 
.049 

.012 
.008 
.027 
.013 
.013 
.017 
.041 
.039 
.018 

.041 
.008 
.021 

.022 
.016 
.030 
.034 
.034 
.013 
.020 
.025 
.015 

.034 
.013 
.023 

.273 
.307 
.328 
.271 
.340 
.286 
.289 
.335 
.283 

.340 
.271 
.301 

Mill,  Attleboro, 
Mass 

Mill,  Southbridge, 
Mass. 

Coal  Pocket, 
Hartford,  Conn.  .  . 
Garage,  Brook- 
line,  Mass. 

Warehouse,  Port- 
land, Me.    . 

Textile  Mill, 
Lawrence,  Mass  .  . 

Highest    
Lowest  
Average  of  9  

ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


443 


COST  OF   BUILDING   WALLS    ABOVE   GRADE 


Forms  per  Sq.  Ft. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

o 

J? 

1 

Location 

Carpenter 
.  Labor 

1 

3 

Nails  and 
Wire 

I 

Concrete 
Labor 

dS 
o3 

1 

Aggregate 

1 

I 

H 

852 

Fire  Station, 

Weston,  Mass  .... 

.116 

.038 

.004 

.158 

.100 

.007 

.069 

.053 

.026 

.039 

.294 

804 

Mill,  Greenfield, 

Mass    

.062 

.038 

.002 

.102 

.060 

.011 

.084 

.086 

.007 

.055 

.303 

802 

Waterworks, 

Waltham,  Mass.  .  . 

.137 

.024 

.001 

.162 

.146 

.007 

.058 

.057 

.014 

.047 

.329 

788 

Coal  Pocket, 

Lawrence.  Mass  .  . 

.118 

.056 

.002 

.176 

.042 

.004 

.073 

.043 

.009 

.019 

.190 

747 

Mill,  Attleboro, 

Mass    

.103 

.024 

.001 

.128 

.129 

.018 

.074 

.048 

.017 

.043 

.329 

732 

Coal  Pocket, 

Hartford,  Conn    .  . 

.096 

.047 

.002 

.145 

.118 

.052 

.097 

.055 

.017 

.013 

.350 

729 

Filter,  Lawrence, 

Mass 

.046 

.032 

.001 

.079 

.046 

.017 

.083 

.054 

.012 

.032 

.244 

704 

Italian  Garden, 

Weston,  Mass  .... 

.101 

.073 

.002 

.176 

.102 

.008 

.105 

.081 

.019 

.010 

.325 

703 

Stable,  Beverly, 

Mass        

.099 

.030 

.002 

.131 

.078 

.019 

.071 

.062 

.018 

.010 

.258 

680 

Residence,  North 

Andover,  Mass  .  .  . 

.078 

.016 

.001 

.095 

.096 

.014 

.046 

.050 

.008 

.010 

.174 

648 

Observatory, 

Milton,  Mass    .... 

.056 

.038 

.002 

.096 

.095 

.012 

.060 

.187 

.058 

.005 

.417 

640 

Office,  Boston, 

Mass    

.105 

.030 

.002 

.137 

.096 

.033 

.066 

.114 

.066 

.005 

.380 

638 

Tunnel,  Boston, 

Mass 

112 

.045 

.005 

1R2 

.126 

.016 

.066 

.106 

.077 

.005 

.330 

621 

Hospital, 

Waltham,  Mass.  .  . 

.058 

.028 

.001 

.087 

.089 

.017 

.034 

.063 

.023 

.010 

.236 

536 

Residence, 

Boston,  Mass  

.108 

.036 

.001 

.145 

.110 

.015 

.077 

.069 

.026 

.005 

.446 

515 

Coal  Pocket, 

Providence,  R.  I    . 

.087 

.020 

.001 

.108 

.052 

.005 

.102 

.090 

.015 

.010 

.274 

500 

Italian  Garden, 

Brookline,  Mass  .  . 

.064 

.027 

.001 

.092 

.048 

.011 

.080 

.071 

.019 

.010 

.239 

Highest    

.136 

.073 

.005 

.176 

.146 

.052 

.105 

.187 

.077 

.055 

.446 

Lowest  

.046 

.016 

.001 

.079 

.042 

.004 

.034 

.043 

.007 

.005 

.174 

Average  of  17  

.085 

.036 

.002 

.128 

.090 

.016 

.073 

.076 

.025 

.019 

.301 

444 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 
COST   OF    FLAT   SLAB    FLOORS 


Forms  per  Sq.  Fr. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

!| 

'  Location 

1  K 

§8 

1 

IB 

3 

is 

«8 

"a 

I 

N 

"S 

1 

E 

T 

1 

Ja 

03 

0 

1 

r 

s 

^ 

865 

Office  Building, 

Portland,  Me    

.078 

.039 

.001 

.118 

.043 

.004 

.087 

.084 

.012 

.022 

252 

852 

Fire  Station, 

Weston,  Mass  .... 

.067 

.038 

.003 

.108 

.103 

.007 

.092 

.053 

.026 

.039 

.320 

727 

Church,  Boston, 

Mass  

.067 

.037 

.002 

.106 

.146 

.017 

.109]  .072 

020 

010 

374 

Highest   

.078 

.039 

.003 

.118 

.146 

.017 

.109  .084 

.026 

.039 

.374 

Lowest  

.067 

.037 

.001 

.106 

.043 

.004 

.087!  .053 

.012 

.010 

,252 

Average  

.071 

.038 

.002 

.111 

.097 

.009 

.096 

.070 

.019 

.024 

.315 

COST   OF   CONCRETE   SLABS    BETWEEN    STEEL  BEAMS 


Forms  per  Sq.  Ft. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

£ 
1 

Location 

Carpenter 
Labor 

Lumber 

Nails  and 
Wire 

I 

Concrete 
Labor 

gl 

0$ 

Cement 

1 

1 
<, 

"O 

••i 
Ji 

[     '. 
1 

£ 

"3 

S10 

Bleachery, 

East  Hampton  .  .  . 

.054 

.027 

.002 

.083 

.092 

.007 

.137 

.073  .012 

.046 

.367 

799 

Machine  Shop, 

Milton,  Mass    

.087 

.027 

.003 

.117 

.090 

.033 

.114 

.075 

.016 

.034 

.362 

792 

Foundry,  New 

Britain,  Conn  .... 

.078 

.046 

.002 

.126 

.095 

.021 

.076 

.078 

.004 

.022 

.296 

778 

Stable,  Boston, 

Mass    

.064 

.012 

.001 

.077 

.101 

.019 

.129 

.070 

.020 

.015 

.354 

774 

Residence, 

Milton,  Mass  

.110 

.071 

.003 

.184 

.105 

.048 

.132 

.080 

.053 

.010 

.428 

752 

Power-House, 

Pittsfield,  Mass.  .  . 

.029 

.030 

.001 

.060 

.131 

.008 

.123 

.068 

.013 

.010 

.353 

725 

Laundry, 

Boston,  Mass  

.058 

.024 

.001 

.083 

.092 

.021 

.098 

.089 

.022 

.010 

.332 

676 

Prison,  Ports- 

mouth, N.  H.   .... 

.068 

.017 

.001 

.086 

.073 

.005 

.208 

.075 

.006 

.010 

.377 

652 

Paper  Mill, 

Mittineague    

.097 

.071 

.002 

.170 

.144 

.033 

.143 

.062 

.027 

.010 

.419 

584 

Power-House, 

Quincy  .Mass  .... 

.047 

.025 

.001 

.073 

.073 

.021 

.159 

.085 

.064 

.020 

.422 

583 

School, 

Waltham,  Mass.  .  . 

.029 

.028 

.001 

.058 

.138 

.009 

.102 

.078 

.018 

.015 

.360 

494 

Foundry,  Provi- 

dence, R.  I  

.028 

.020 

.001 

.049 

.084 

.012 

.114 

.026 

.026 

.010 

.272 

494 

Foundry,  Provi- 

dence, R.  I  

.043 

.021 

.001 

.065 

.111 

.010 

.128 

.029 

.029 

.010 

.317 

Highest 

.110 

.071 

.003 

.184 

.144 

.048 

.208 

.080 

.064 

.046 

.428 

Lowest  

.028 

.012 

.001 

.049 

.073 

.005 

.076 

.026 

.004 

.010 

.272 

Average  

.061 

.032 

.002 

.095|  .102 

.019 

.128 

.068 

.024 

.017 

.359 

1 

ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


445 


COST   OF    BEAM    FLOORS    OF    REINFORCED    CONCRETE 


Forms  per  Sq.  Ft. 

Concrete  per  Cu.  Ft. 

o 

fc 
•g 

Location 

Is 

1 

IB 

"3 

Is 

ao 

"S 

I 

1 

S3  o 

c 

o 

*t 

ft 

8 

3 
iJ 

f 

-5 

P 

•*•% 
^3 

1 

s 

M 
SS 

<3 

II 

s 

£ 

827 

Power-House, 

Greenfield,  Mass.  . 

.165 

.107 

.003 

.275 

.143 

.020 

.109 

.101 

.008 

.016 

.397 

809 

Tar  Well,  Spring- 

field, Mass    

.064 

.041 

.002 

.107 

.076 

.005 

.026 

.075 

.013 

.040 

.335 

804 

Mills,  Greenfield, 

Mass. 

.106 

.061 

.004 

.171 

.077 

.011 

.109 

.086 

.007 

.055 

.345 

796 

Car  Barn, 

Danbury,  Conn.  .  . 

.044 

.051 

.001 

.096 

.128 

.013 

.086 

.071 

.011 

.010 

.319 

788 

Coal  Pocket, 

Lawrence,  Mass  .  . 

.072 

.039 

.002 

.113 

.056 

.004 

.073 

.041 

.009 

.019 

.202 

762 

Mill,  Southbridge, 

Mass  

.067 

.062 

.002 

.131 

.137 

.029 

.191 

.051 

.038 

.014 

.460 

747 

Mill,  Attleboro, 

Mass  

.062 

.032 

.002 

.096 

.071 

.023 

.098 

.062 

.021 

.055 

.330 

744 

Bridge,  Ply- 

mouth, Mass  

.047 

.050 

.001 

.098 

.078 

.019 

.100 

.040 

.027 

.010 

.274 

741 

Garage,  Newton, 

Mass  

.104 

.033 

.002 

.134 

.116 

.020 

.121 

.084 

.038 

.010 

.394 

733 

Mill,  South- 

bridge,  Mass  

.057 

.051 

.001 

.109 

.119 

.027 

.132 

.037 

.013 

.034 

.362 

732 

Coal  Pocket, 

Hartford,  Conn.  .  .  . 

.060 

.033 

.001 

.094 

.047 

.023 

.081 

.055 

.017 

.013 

.236 

731 

Garage,  Brook- 

line,  Mass  

.105 

.038 

.002 

.145 

.160 

.032 

.088 

.058 

.041 

.020 

.399 

729 

Filter,  Lawrence, 

Mass  

.048 

.032 

.001 

.081 

.102 

.016 

.085 

.054 

.012 

.032 

.301 

694 

Storehouse, 

Chelsea,  Mass.  .  .  . 

.064 

.043 

.002 

.109 

.153 

.035 

.115 

.068 

.052 

.020 

.443 

685 

Warehouse, 

Portland,  Me  

.037 

.029 

.001 

.067 

.186 

.030 

.096 

.069 

.043 

.046 

.470 

614 

Textile  Mill, 

Lawrence,  Mass  .  . 

.045 

.042 

.001 

.088 

.130 

.013 

.071 

.037 

.025 

.010 

.286 

499 

Textile  Mill, 

Lawrence,  Mass  .  . 

.053 

.033 

.001 

.087 

.116 

.033 

.194 

.049 

.035 

.015 

.442 

471 

Chapel,  Portland, 

Me  

.053 

.027 

.002 

.082 

.100 

.008 

.127 

.091 

.041 

.010 

.377 

Highest      

.165 

.107 

.004 

.275 

.186 

.035 

.194 

.101 

.052 

.055 

.470 

Lowest  

.037 

.027 

.001 

.067 

.047 

.004 

.071 

.037 

.007 

.010 

.202 

Average  of  18 

.070 

.045 

.002 

.116 

.111 

.020 

.106 

.063 

.025 

.024 

.354 

446 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


STEEL 


Job 

No. 

Location 

Weight 

Cost  of 
Handling 

Cost 
per  ton 

865 
852 

846 
843 
829 
831 
816 
809 
807 
804 
799 
788 
762 
759 
747 
741 
733 
732 
729 
685 
630 
788 
729 

Office  Building,  Portland,  Me  
Fire  Station,  Weston,  Mass.  . 

324, 
8: 
65; 

8; 

55 
19 
8^ 
15^ 
24^ 
92^ 
201 
28 
53^ 
293 
49^ 
20 
30 
195 
44^ 
62 
199^ 

tons 

« 

tt 

(i 
u 
tt 

a 
" 

u 
( 
( 

f    , 

r        ' 

-  ; 

i 
i 

-  : 

-    " 

$5,115.32 
40.26 
548.81 
61.75 
506.76 
102.59 
69.38 
59.21 
136.84 
1,232.01 
177.16 
461.16 
142.76 
3,079.60 
286.02 
86.55 
100.03 
2,316.60 
112.84 
462.99 
1,547.00 

$15.76 
4.74 
8.41 
7.26 
9.18 
5.40 
8.16 
3.82 
5.58 
10.20 
8.75 
16.47 
2.67 
10.51 
5.78 
4.33 
3.34 
11.88 
2.54 
7.47 
7.75 
16.47 
2.54 
8.52 

Mill,  Chelsea,  Mass  

Coal  Bins,  Dalton,  Mass  

Dam,  Auburn  Me 

Filter,  Warren,  R.  I.  . 

Tank,  Lincoln,  Me. 

Tar  Well,  Springfield,  Mass..      . 

Monument,  Provincetown,  Mass. 
Mill,  Greenfield,  Mass  

Machine  Shop,  Milton,  Mass.  .  .  . 
Coal  Pocket,  Lawrence,  Mass.  ... 
Mill,  Southbridge,  Mass 

Mill,  South  Windham,  Me  
Mill,  Attleboro,  Mass  

Garage,  Newton  Mass 

Mill,  Southbridge,  Mass  

Coal  Pocket,  Hartford,  Conn.    .  . 
Filter,  Lawrence,  Mass                .  . 

Warehouse,  Portland,  Me  
Standpipe,  Attleboro,  Mass  

Highest  . 

Lowest  .                                         .  . 

Average  of  21  

FORMS  — "  By  reference  to  the  general  averages  on  form  work 
in  the  foregoing  tables  of  forms  per  square  foot  of  surface 
contact,  namely,  columns  $.13  floors  with  reinforced  concrete 
beams  $.116,  flat  floors  without  beams  $.111,  short  spans  slabs 
between  steel  beams,  including  the  fireproofing  on  the  sides 
of  the  beams,  $.095,  walls  exposed  to  view  above  ground, 
$.128,  foundation  walls  $.103,  mass  foundations  $.093,  the 
writer  believes  all  higher  in  price  than  is  usually  believed  to 
be  a  fair  cost  by  the  majority  of  builders.  It  is  upon  the  suc- 
cess of  handling  forms  that  good  results  financially  depend. 

CONCRETE: — In  regard  to  concrete,  labor  is  the  variable 
item  which  must  be  carefully  considered.  Anyone  of  intelli- 
gence can  make  a  careful  estimate  of  the  materials  to  be 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  447 

used,  but  note  the  average  prices  per  cubic  foot  of  labor, 
namely  for  columns,  $.123,  beam  floors  $.131,  flat  floors  $.106, 
floors  between  steel  beams  $.121,  walls  $.106,  founda- 
tions $.091,  and  mass  work  in  connection  with  build- 
ings $.052;  not  until  the  last  item  is  reached  is  a  price  ob- 
tained in  experience  which,  according  to  the  observation  of 
the  writer,  the  majority  expect  to  obtain  in  building  work  in 
general.  Many  men  who  have  had  wide  experience  in  hand- 
ling large  quantities  of  concrete  in  mass  have  at  times  at- 
tempted a  lighter  type  of  construction  and  been  greatly  sur- 
prised at  the  large  expense  connected  therewith.  It  has  come 
to  the  writer's  notice  a  number  of  times  that  men  with  this 
experience  have  added  from  fifty  per  cent,  to  one  hundred 
per  cent,  to  the  cost  of  mass  work  and  felt  that  they  were 
amply  covered  for  light  structural  work.  The  fallacy  of  this 
can  be  seen  by  a  very  recent  experience  of  the  writer's.  In 
building  a  dam  this  past  year  across  the  Connecticut  River, 
about  5,500  cubic  yards  of  concrete  were  placed.  Cement  and 
aggregates  were  received  on  a  bridge  abutment  twenty-six 
feet  above  the  river.  Aggregates  were  dumped  upon  an  in- 
clined chute  where  they  were  to  be  washed,  and  from  the  end 
of  the  chute  they  fell  into  bins,  from  which  they  were  drawn 
through  measuring  hoppers  into  a  mixer  and  dumped  from 
this  into  tram  cars  four  feet  above  the  water.  The  total  ex- 
pense for  labor  of  washing,  charging,  mixing  and  dumping 
into  the  cars  was  only  $.12  per  cubic  yard,  and  for  moving  it 
in  cars,  an  average  distance  of  700  feet,  dumping  and  placing 
was  only  $.30  per  cubic  yard,  or  a  total  cost  of  $.0155  per 
cubic  foot. 

MASTER  CARD:— In  the  exhibit  at  the  end  is  given  an  exact 
copy  of  a  "  master  card  "  which  gives  the  complete  financial 
history  of  the  job  when  it  is  finally  completed.  It  will  be 
seen  that  on  some  items  a  loss  was  incurred,  as  well  as  a 
profit  on  others,  showing  that  it  is  difficult,  even  on  work 
which  a  company  is  fairly  experienced  on,  to  reach  the  right 
price  on  everything,  and  also  that  when  slight  changes  are 
made  by  the  owner  or  architect  they  often  entail  heavy  loss. 
Take  one  case  of  the  external  walls.  The  owners  furnished 


448  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

the  window-frames  and  sash,  which  were  all  of  metal.  The 
original  design  was  for  a  frame  with  two-sash  which  could 
easily  be  put  into  a  six-inch  wall.  They  later  decided,  for 
greater  fire  protection,  to  use  four-sash.  This  required  an 
eight-inch  wall  instead  of  six-inch,  and  the  form  work  on 
the  inside  had  to  be  built  inward  and  then  the  space  under 
the  windows  paneled  to  save  material.  This  slight  change, 
when  the  job  was  entirely  complete,  showed  that  the  concrete 
on  the  walls  showed  an  actual  loss  instead  of  profit,  and 
that  form  work  cost  more  than  twice  what  was  originally  es- 
timated that  it  should  cost. 

TOOLING  : — Regarding  the  tooling  of  wall  surfaces,  we  orig- 
inally planned  to  do  this  when  the  cement  was  less  than  ten 
days  old,  but,  on  account  of  the  various  changes,  forms  had 
to  be  left  on  a  considerably  longer  time,  and  it  was  incon- 
venient to  tool  the  surface  until  the  cement  Was  so  thor- 
oughly set  that  the  cost  of  dressing  was  considerably  greater 
than  was  first  anticipated.  ••; 

MAPLE  FLOOR: — Again,  by  reference  to  the  y8-inch  maple 
floor  which  was  placed  upon  the  concrete  construction,  a 
cost  of  $89.44  per  M.  bd.  ft.  will  be  observed,  and  by  refer- 
ence to  the  details  on  the  back  of  the  card  it  will  be  seen  that 
repairing  floor  cost  $248.50  or  $12.42  per  thousand.  This  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  owners  did  not  deliver  or  set  the 
window-sash  at  the  time  agreed,  and  therefore  the  maple 
floors  lay  exposed  to  the  weather  in  the  building  for  several 
weeks,  swelled,  and  after  laying,  shrunk,  leaving  large 
cracks  which  the  owners  insisted  on  being  filled  before  they 
would  accept  the  work.  These  indicate  how  matters  which 
appear  trivial  at  the  time  may  cause  serious  loss,  if  over- 
looked. 

As  seen  by  the  large  list  of  items  entering  into  the  esti- 
mate as  given  by  this  master  card,  there  are  various  items 
of  cost  entering  into  the  construction  besides  those  which 
are  enumerated.  Nevertheless,  the  matter  of  the  forms,  steel 
and  concrete  cover  by  far  the  largest  proportion  of  the  cost 
of  a  reinforced  concrete  structure,  and  the  minor  items  are 
those  which  are  peculiar  to  each  individual  case  and  which 
any  person  can  easily  estimate  for  himself. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


449 


MASTER    CARD 
Mill,  Tappan   Bros-.  Attleboro,  Mass. 


Job  No.  747 
Date,  May  24,  1906 

Proposal 

Actual 
Cost 

Per 
cu.  ft. 

Profit 

Loss 

Per 
cent 

Total                     

$35,164.55 
790.00 
1,738.00 

1,955.00 
1,520.00 
8,883.00 
2,869.00 

832.00 
883.00 

469.00 
348.00 
44.00 

852.00 

1,770.25 
253.00 
387.00 

1,086.00 

2,839.00 
1,738.00 
379.50 
98.00 
1,255.00 

1,009.00 

429.00 
400.00 

300.00 
1,860.00 
100.00 
77.80 

$31,330.48 
823.18 
1,033.57 

2,162.02 
3,630.08 
6,544.16 
1,713.51 

676.65 
910.35 

636.53 
164.33 
35.64 

729.99 

1,656.35 
257.06 
654.00 

835.12 

1,431.69 
1,788.88 
533.19 
70.07 
1,026.06 

647.54 

316.90 
375.00 

218.91 
2,271.73 
120.00 
67.97 

.021 
.137 
Per  sq.  ft. 
.190 
.125 
.339 
.237 
Per  lin.  ft. 
1.470 
.912 
Per  sq.  ft. 
.056 

Each 

2.19 

Per  sq.  ft. 
.189 

Per  M. 
52.17 

33.30 

89:44 
98.89 

Per  sq.  ft. 
.094 

.211 
.175 

$3,834.07 
704.43 

2,338.84 
1,155.49 

155.351 

183.67 
8.36 

122.01 
113.90 

250.88 
1,407.31 

27.93 
228.94 

361.46 

112.10 
25.00 

j    81.09 
9.83 

$33.18 

207.02 
2,110.08 

27.35 
167.53 

4.06 
267.00 

50.88 
153.69 

411.73 
20.00 

11 

Footings  and  fn  

Exterior  walls  
Wall  and  fn.  centers 
Floors,  6f  thick    .... 
Roof,  5J"  thick    

Columns,  20"x20"  
Stairs          

Tool  surface  
Ornaments  and  cornice 
Ventilators  on  roof    .  .  . 

Set  windows  and  door 
frames  

Interior  partitions  .... 
Bolts  and  iron  works  .  .  . 
Stair  railing  and  grill  .  . 

Screens  and  setting  .... 
2"  spr.  plank  and  lay- 
ing . 

|"  Maple,  laying    
Motor  shaft 

Motor  shaft  foundation 
Roofing  and  conductors 

Retaining  Wall  — 
Centers  per  sq.  ft.    .  . 
Concrete  per  cu.  ft.   . 
Painting    

Steel     footings     and 
walls      . 

Plant,  frt.,  etc  

Bond  

Extras 

Mr.  Wason  then  goes  on  to  the  cost  of  concrete  buildings. 

"  It  has  been  a  common  method  to  estimate  the  approximate 
cost  of  a  building  by  either  the  square  foot  of  floor  or  the 
cubic  foot  of  space  enclosed.  As  stated,  after  making  this 
comparison,  I  am  convinced  that  neither  method  is  accurate 
enough  to  put  much  reliance  on,  but  that  the  square  foot 
method  is  a  little  safer  than  the  other.  Four  additional  tables 
are  presented  herewith.  In  each  case  the  total  cost  includes 


450 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


masonry  and  carpentry  work  without  interior  finish  or  deco- 
rating, plumbing  and  heating.  The  effort  has  been  made  to 
put  the  buildings  upon  a  comparative  basis  as  regards  the 
amount  of  work  done  on  each. 

The  first  table  consists  of  the  total  cost  of  actual  contracts 
executed.  The  second  table  consists  of  bona  fide  bids  on 
complete  buildings  on  which  we  were  not  the  lowest  bidders, 
but  where  the  difference  was  not,  as  a  rule,  very  great.  The 
third  and  fourth  tables  are  bona  fide  bids  on  work  by  an- 
other contractor  whose  experience  was  similar  to  our  own. 
As  a  rule,  cubic  foot  measurements  are  given  in  cents  only, 
seldom  being  carried  to  any  closer  subdivision.  In  reference 
to  Table  IV.  on  second-class  buildings,  it  will  be  noted  that 
for  the  largest  building  a  variation  of  one  cent  per  cubic 
foot  amounts  to  over  $28,000,  while  the  smallest  one  in  the 
list  amounts  to  only  a  little  over  ,$5,400.  Again,  on  the  last 
three  items,  the  cubic  foot  price  is  practically  identical,  while 
the  square  foot  measurements  corresponding  vary  by  more 
than  100  per  cent,  with  no  easily  apparent  reason  in  the 
design. 

TABLE  I. 
COST    OF    FIREPROOF   COMPLETED    CONTRACTS 


Floor 

Unit 

Cost 

Kind  of  Building 

Job  Cost 

in  Cu.  Ft. 

Area  in 
Sq.  Ft. 

Per  Cu. 
Ft. 

Per  Sq. 
Ft. 

Offices  and  stores   .... 
Offices  and  stores   .... 
Factory  

$181,194 
61,646 
12,774 

1,365,830 
496,780 
112,440 

90,474 
39,840 
7,519 

$.133 
.124 
.114 

$2.00 

1.545 
1.70 

Factory 

44,652 

746,674 

49,546 

.060 

902 

Factory                  .... 

39,830 

312,000 

24,960 

.127 

1.60 

Garage           

10,436 

156,198 

10,806 

.085 

1.23 

Filter            

19,993 

149,250 

19,208 

.134 

1.04 

Fire  Station 

6,757 

44265 

2,982 

.153 

226 

Observatory  
Filter                        .... 

3,625 
20,076 

9,734 
59,991 

657 
5,243 

.373 
.333 

5.45 
3.82 

Highest  
Lowest   

.333 
.06 

3.82 
.90 

Average  

— 

— 

— 

.138 

1.72 

ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


451 


TABLE  II. 
COST    OF    FIREPROOF   COMPLETE    BUILDINGS 


Kind  of  Building 

Job  Cost 

Volume 
inCu.  Ft. 

Floor 
Area  in 
Sq.  Ft. 

Unit  Cost 

Per  Cu. 
Ft. 

Per  Sq. 
Ft. 

Storehouse 

$141,755 
60,800 
61,646 
200,051 
19,292 
141,529 
76,796 
91,377 
136,880 
13,064 
75,604 
23,332 

1,714,448 
703,692 
496,780 
1,535,000 
212,400 
1,327,868 
1,140,000 
1,380,500 
693,840 
105,600 
1,211,364 
180,000 

168,696 
57,654 
39,840 
154,000 
15,000 
106,022 
146,000 
90,240 
56,552 
8,800 
74,604 
16,394 

$.0827 
.0865 
.124 
.13 
.091 
.107 
.0685 
.067 
.197 
.124 
.0625 
.129 
.197 
.0625 
.1088 

$    .84 
1.05 
1.545 
1.30* 
1.28 
1.335 
.575 
1.01 
2.42 
1.485 
1.01 
1.42 
2.42 
.575 
1.27 

Hospital         

Office  building,    
Cold  storage    

Factory 

Factory  . 

Storehouse 

Mfg.  building    

Office  

Factory  

Factory  

Factory 

Highest  . 

Lowest  

Average    

In  Table  III.  another  discrepancy  is  noticed.  In  the  first 
and  the  last  items,  the  highest  and  the  lowest  per  cubic  foot, 
as  well  as  per  square  foot,  are  on  office  buildings  of  similar 
type  which  were  within  one  mile  of  each  other  where  there 
is  no  apparent  reason  for  such  discrepancy  in  the  design  or 
difficulty  of  access  in  the  erection  of  the  building.  I  would 
recommend  that  very  little  reliance  be  placed  upon  this  class 
of  estimates. 


452 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


TABLE  III. 
COST   OF   FIREPROOF    BUILDINGS 


Volume 

Floor 

Unit 

Cost 

in  Cu.  Ft. 

Sq.  Ft. 

Per  Cu. 

Ft. 

Per  Sq. 
Ft. 

Office  building 

$  70690 

441,000 

35,854 

$  .159 

$1.97 

Cold  storage    
Hospital 

132,365 
44,451 

1,016,400 
348,320 

101,640 
34,832 

.13 
.127 

1.30 
1.27 

Hospital       .            .  . 

51,574 

414,732 

29,838 

.124 

1.73 

Bank                  

65,580 

533,750 

.123 

Masonic             

180,197 

1,479,456 

; 

.122 



Warehouse     

31,280 

259,700 

24,500 

.120 

1.28 

Garage  
Warehouse  

59,105 
275,723 

497,420 
2,597,000 

212,000 

.118 
.106 

1.30 

Hotel  

220,646 

2,116,106 

.104 

Hospital 

49724 

485,789 

38,247 

.100 

1.30 

Office 

25,151 

264,687 

.095 

Cold  storage    
Club   . 

82,711 
43,586 

909,240 
513,808 

66,745 

.091 
.085 

1.24 

Office  .                       .    . 

60,003 

501,575 

67,400 

.084 

1.12 

Highest  

159 

1.97 

Lowest  
Average    

— 

— 

— 

.084 
.113 

1.12 
1.39 

5  variatiop  high 
and  low  

— 

— 

— 

53.8% 

57.0% 

ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  453 

TABLE  IV. 

COST   OF    MILL   CONSTRUCTION    OR    SECOND-CLASS 
BUILDING 


Volume 

Floor 

Unit 

Cost 

Kind  of  Building 

Job  Cost 

in  Cu.  Ft. 

Area  in 
Sq.  Ft. 

Per  Cu. 

Ft. 

Per  Sq. 
Ft. 

Mill  ...,..:..'.:. 

$  66,516 

544,788 

44,172 

$.122 

$1.51 

Warehouse 

337  000  ' 

2  808,850 

.121 

Mill 

113  288 

1,271,300 

129,920 

.089 

.875 

Storehouse     .        ... 

101,098 

1,714,448 

168,696 

.059 

.60 

Mill  

90,703 

1,622,128 

152,200 

.056 

.60 

Mill  

72,048 

1,331,200 

83,200 

.054 

.865 

Mill  

85,754 

1,752,609 

81,500 

.048 

1.05 

Mill  

122,128 

2,641,000 

98,059 

.046 

1.25 

Mill 

94341 

2,036,731 

174,000 

046 

.542 

Mill 

129,405 

2,867,535 

157,730 

.045 

.82 

Highest  .    . 

.122 

1.51 

Lowest  

, 





.045 

.542 

Average    







.069 

.90 

COST    OP    MODERATE    PRICED    DWELLING    HOUSES 
OF  REINFORCED  CONCRETE. 

So  much  has  been  said  regarding  the  cost  of  moderate 
priced  dwelling  houses  of  reinforced  concrete  that  an  esti- 
mate has  been  made  on  four  of  the  prize  designs  of  the  com- 
petition held  by  the  Association  of  American  Portland  Ce- 
ment Manufacturers.  These  have  been  figured  out  on  aver- 
age unit  costs  given  in  the  preceding  tables.  First  prize  was 
for  a  $2,000  house,  single  and  double,  and  for  a  $4.500  house, 
single  and  double.  The  first  figure  is  for  a  house  as  designed 
by  the  successful  competitor,  the  second  figure  for  a  dis- 
tinctly monolithic  fireproof  house  en  the  same  design.  It 
will  be  seen  that  these  houses  cost  more  when  estimated, 
based  upon  experience  hereinbefore  given,  than  the  sort  given 
in  the  competition.  It  is  nevertheless  the  writer's  opinion 
that  small  detached  houses  cannot  be  built  as  cheap,  as  a 
rule,  as  the  average  unit  price  upon  which  the  estimate  is 
based,  because  these  unit  prices  are  obtained  from  much 


454  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

larger  buildings,  the  majority  of  which  are  much  plainer  in 
design,  which  thereby  simplifies  the  construction. 

There  has  been  some  inquiry  regarding  the  cost  of  work- 
men's cottages,  and  a  design  has  been  made  for  a  block 
house  to  be  built  in  not  less  than  20  at  one  time  in  blocks  of 
10  or  more  in  length.  These  are  two-story  houses  with  cellar 
for  storage  of  coal,  two  rooms  on  the  first  floor,  four  cham- 
bers and  toilet  on  the  second;  17  feet  front,  27  feet  deep,  fire- 
proof throughout.  These  could  be  built  for  $1,600  each,  or 
16.9  cents  per  cubic  foot,  and  $1.73  per  square  foot  of  floor 
space.  If  built  of  the  same  design,  only  of  wood,  the  cost  is 
estimated  to  be  $1,355,  or  14^  cents  a  cubic  foot,  $1.48  a 
square  foot, — a  saving  between  concrete  and  wood  of  $245  or 
15.3  per  cent.  Considering  the  severe  wear  and  tear  such  a 
house  receives  from  the  class  of  pople  who  occupy  it,  this 
difference  in  price  is  very  well  justified.  Prices  given  here 
are  for  everything  necessary  for  the  building  complete,  ready 
for  immediate  occupancy. 

Cost  of  Four  Houses. — Prize  Designs  from  the  Competition 
Held  by  the  Association  of  American  Portland   Cement 

Manufacturers. 

(The  houses  are  complete  except  for  heating,  lighting  and 
plumbing.  The  third  column  is  figured  out  by  unit  costs 
given  in  the  preceding  tables  for  a  house  with  concrete  walls 
and  wooden  interior  as  per  the  competition;  the  fourth  col- 
umn is  for  the  same  house  built  entirely  fireproof.) 

No.  158.     EUGENE  WARD,  JR.,  Architect 
Single  house,  26  feet  front  by  20  feet  8  inches  deep; 

2  stories  and  cellar;  4  rooms  and  bath    $2,000        $  3,694        $  4,315 

No.  177.     ANDREW  LINDSAY,  Architect 

Double  house,  66  feet  6  inches  front  by  28  feet  deep; 

If  stories  and  £  cellar;  4  rooms  and  bath    $4,000  6,716  8,385 

No.  156.     EUGENE  WARD,  JR.,  Architect 
Double  house,  72  feet  8  inches  front  by  30  feet  10 

inches  deep;  2$  stories  and  cellar;  8  rooms  and 

bath    $9,000          10,440          12,507 

No..  96.     W.  CORNELL  APPLETON,  Architect 
Single  house,  33  feet  front  by  28  feet  deep;  2  stories 

and  cellar;  7  rooms  and  bath $4,500  5,847  7,112 

Mr.  Wason's  valuable  paper  ends  here. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  455 

At  this  Cleveland  Convention  another  expert  gave  the  fol- 
lowing comparison  of  cost  : — 

"  Reinforced  concrete  buildings  of  reasonable  size,  that  is, 
costing  $60,000  and  upwards,  can  be  and  actually  have  been 
erected  at  costs  running  from  10  per  cent,  to  20  per  cent, 
lower  than  the  best  bid  received  for  steel  construction  on  the 
same  plans.  On  medium  propositions  concrete  will  not  ex- 
ceed first-class  mill  construction  by  more  than  10  per  cent., 
and  in  several  instances  where  the  estimated  cost  of  the 
building  has  run  over  $150,000,  the  figures  submitted  by  the 
concrete  contractors  have  been  slightly  lower  than  those  of 
the  mill  construction  men." 

THE     FERRO-CONCRETE     CONSTRUCTION     COMPANY. 

Another  excellent  record  of  actual  costs  was  sent  me  near 
the  end  of  1909  by  The  Ferro-Concrete  Construction  Company 
of  Cincinnati.  This  Company  put  up  the  16-story  Ingalls 
building,  one  of  the  first  of  the  new  style;  and  has  since 
erected  nearly  200  other  structures  of  all  sorts  and  sizes. 
METHODS  : — Mr.  Anderson,  the  president,  says  : 

"  To  make  a  proper  estimate  the  cost  of  the  form  work 
should  always  be  kept  separate,  and  as  a  general  thing,  this 
cost  is  about  the  same  as  the  entire  cost  of  the  concrete  itself, 
including  material  and  labor  on  the  concrete,  as  the  cost 
varies  with  the  type  of  building.  For  instance,  the  cost  of 
form  work  for  the  fireproofing  of  a  steel  building  is  much  less 
per  square  foot  than  the  cost  on  a  reinforced  concrete  build- 
ing where  there  is  no  steel  frame.  The  reason  for  this  is  that 
where  there  is  a  steel  frame  the  carpenters  have  the  height  of 
the  floor  fixed  by  the  steel  work,  also  all  the  positions  of  the 
beams  and  girders  are  fixed,  while  in  a  strictly  reinforced 
concrete  building  all  of  these  dimensions  have  to  be  care- 
fully measured  and  determined  by  the  carpenter. 

COSTS: — "The  unit  cost  of  high  and  narrow  buildings,  such 
as  the  Ingalls,  is  much  greater  than  buildings  which  are 
more  spread  out.  Each  floor  has  to  be  concreted  before  do- 
ing any  work  on  the  one  above,  and  this  causes  delay.  Then 


456  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

the  men  do  not  work  so  fast  on  the  outside  work  when  so 
high  in  the  air. 

COST  OF  FORMS:— "The  actual  costs  on  the  Ingalls  Build- 
ing for  form  work  came  to  11.39c.  per  square  foot;  the  cost 
of  lumber  and  nails  being  $5,669.11,  and  the  cost  of  labor 
being  $22,910.58,  making  the  unit  cost  of  material  2.2Tc.  per 
square  foot,  and  the  cost  of  labor  9.12c.  per  square  foot.  At 
this  time  we  were  paying  37.5c.  for  carpenters. 

MEASUREMENT:— "In  getting  the  number  of  square  feet 
of  form  work  we  count  on  form  work  that  comes  in  contact 
with  the  concrete,  making  no  allowances  for  the  deductions 
which  actually  occur  at  intersections,  thus  on  the  walls  we 
count  for  each  square  foot  of  wall  two  square  feet  of  form 
work,  as  both  sides  touch  the  wall. 

"  In  figuring  columns  we  figure  all  sides  and  count  the  full 
story  height,  making  no  deduction  for  the  thickness  of  the 
floor  itself. 

"  In  figuring  girders  we  figure  the  full  length  of  the  build- 
ing, making  no  deductions  for  that  portion  where  the  girders 
go  through  a  column,  which  has  already  been  counted  in  the 
column  forms;  likewise,  we  make  no  deduction  where  the 
beams  and  girders  intersect.  Also  we  make  no  deductions 
for  stair  openings  or  elevator  openings,  as  the  additional 
cost  of  framing  around  these  places  more  than  overcomes 
the  amount  saved  by  the  opening. 

"  These  rules  in  so  far  as  intersections  and  openings  go  also 
apply  in  obtaining  our  quantities  for  concrete  and  steel. 
MIXING  AND  PLACING: — "The  cost  of  placing  concrete  on 
the  Ingalls  Building  was  $1.46%  per  cu.  yd.   with  labor  at 
17M>c.  per  hour. 

COST  OF  FORMS: — "  The  costs  of  form  work  on  some  of  our 
other  jobs  were  as  follows: 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


457 


Name  and  Address 

Labor 
Cents 

Material 
Cents 

Total 
Cents 

Carpentry 
Per  Hr. 
Cents 

Richardson  Paper  Co.,  Lockland, 

Ohio                      

9.23 

.92 

10.15 

Citizens  Motor  Car  Co  

10 

2.62 

12.62 



Barney  Warehouse,  Dayton,  O.    . 
Extension  No.  3  Bullock  Elec.  & 

7.3 

.8 

8.1 

— 

Mfg.  Co.,  Norwood,  Ohio  

11.45 

4.04 

15.49 

42.5 

Frank  Bldg.,  Cincinnati,  O  

6.69 

3.30 

9.99 

37.5  and  40 

Ware  Residence,  Ft.  Thomas,  Ky. 

6.62 

2.72 

9.34 

37.5 

Hauck  Bldg.,  Cincinnati,  O  

7.7 

2.66 

10.36 

37.5 

American  Book  Co.,  Cin'ti,  O.    .  . 

6.24 

2.08 

8.32 

37.5 

McDonald-Kiley  Warehouse  .... 

7.76 

2.84 

10.6 

37.5 

American  Snuff     Co.,     Memphis, 

Tenn.                       

5.66 

3.29 

9.95 

45 

"  The  labor  cost  per  cubic  yard  of  concrete  and  steel  in  dol- 
lars per  ton  on  some  of  these  jobs  was  as  follows: 


Name 

Concrete 

Steel 

Extension  No.  3  Bullock  Elec.  &  Mfg.  Co  
American  Snuff  Co    

$1.585 
2.46 

$  8.16 
6.40 

Barney  Warehouse 

230 

1320 

Citizens  Motor  Car  Co  . 

1032 

Henderson  Litho.  Co            

___ 

11.04 

Richardson  Paper  Co  

2.99 

14.04 

Hauck  Building  

1.745 

8.32 

W^are  Residence  

2.65 

"  These  are  actual  costs  taken  from  our  records. 

"  It  would  be  well,  however,  for  me  to  tell  how  we  make  our 
estimates  before  these  would  mean  much.  There  are  certain 
fixed  expenses  which  of  course  we  do  not  include  in  these 
costs  and  which  on  the  average  amount  to  about  10  per  cent., 
wo  that  these  figures  would  have  to  be  increased  by  10  per 
cent,  to  get  the  actual  costs.  The  expenses  I  refer  to  are 
general  operating  expenses,  liability  insurance  on  our  work- 
men, superintendents,  watchmen  and  similar  expenses. 


458 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


"  In  some  of  the  costs  for  form  work  the  material  cost  was 
very  low.  This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  we  had  other  jobs 
we  could  take  the  lumber  from,  and  so  a  low  lumber  cost 
was  thus  obtained. 

"  Of  course  anyone  starting  in  business  will  probably  have 
their  costs  run  higher  at  the  start  than  would  be  the  c.-ise  in 
an  old  established  firm,  as  the  latter  naturally  know  how  to 
handle  their  work  better  and  are  apt  to  have  better  work- 
men." 

TRUSSED    CONCRETE    STEEL    COMPANY 

One  of  the  largest  companies  doing  reinforced-concrete 
work  is  the  Kahn  Co.,  or  Trussed  Concrete  Steel  Co.  of  De- 
troit. Some  data  from  this  company  are  already  given  on 
pp.  124-125.  The  following  figures  sent  me  in  1909  from  their 
Hy-Rib  engineer  deal  with  this  new  development.  They  are 
supposed  to  apply  to  all  the  larger  cities  of  Ohio,  Indiana, 
Illinois,  Wisconsin,  and  Michigan,  if  not  to  any  city  in  the 
country,  with  the  possible  exception  of  New  York,  Philadel- 
phia and  Chicago,  where  higher  prices  prevail.  One  large  con- 
tract this  company  secured  in  1908  was  the  Ford  Motor  Co. 
factory  at  Detroit— 75'x862'x4  stories;  and  the  cost  was  only 
5c.  per  cubic  ft. 

Floor  costs  are  given  complete. 

"'All  the  figures  given  are  actual  costs,  not  including  con- 
tractor's profit,  with  the  exception  of  the  figure  given  on  side 
walls  made  with  Hy-rib,  where  we  have  named  the  contract 
prices  as  well  as  actual  costs. 

The  figures  below  are  based  upon  the  following  unit 
costs: 

Portland  cement   $  1.10  per  bbl. 

Good  clean  sand    1.00  per  cu.  yd. 

Crushed  stone    1.35  per  cu.  yd. 

Common  labor 20  per  hour 

Skilled  labor  for  concrete  work 40  per  hour 

Carpenter  labor 40  per  hour 

Plasterers'  labor 50  per  hour 

Plasterers'  helpers 20  per  hour 

Lathers'  labor 40  per  hour 

Lumber  for  shoring 18.00  per  thousand 

28  gauge  Hy-rib  painted  or  unpainted 3.75c.  per  sq.  ft. 

f.o.b.  Youngstown,  0. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  459 

26  gauge  Hy-rib  painted  or  unpainted    4.2c.  per  sq.  ft. 

f.o.b.  Youngstown,  O. 
24  gauge  Hy-rib  painted  or  unpainted 5.5  c.  per  sq.  ft. 

f.o.b.  Youngstown,  O. 

TYPE  A : — A  floor  like  type  A,  on  6'  spans  to  support  100  Ibs. 
per  sq.  ft.  live  load  will  cost  about  24.5c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  floor 
area.     This  figure  includes  the  fireproofing  of  the  beams. 
The  same  floor  on  an  8'  span  will  cost  26.5c.  per  sq.  ft. 

TYPE  B: — Referring  to  type  B,  this  floor  to  support  100  Ibs. 
per  sq.  ft.  live  load  will  cost  about  19c.  per  sq.  ft.  on  6'  spans 
and  about  21c.  per  sq.  ft.  on  8'  spans.  These  costs  include  the 
fireproofing  of  the  beams. 

TYPE  C: — Referring  to  type  C,  this  floor  to  carry  a  live  load 
of  100  Ibs.  per  sq.  ft.  would  cost  on  G'  spans  about  26c.  per 
sq.  ft.,  and  on  8'  spans  about  28.5c.  per  sq.  ft. 

TYPE  D:— Referring  to  type  D,  this  floor  to  support  100  Ibs. 
per  sq.  ft.  live  load  would  cost  about  17.5c.  per  sq.  ft.  for  6' 
spans  and  about  19.5c.  per  sq.  ft.  for  8'  spans.  These  costs 
include  the  fireproofing  of  the  beams  as  shown. 

TYPE  E: — Referring  to  the  upper  figure  marked  type  E, 
where  the  arched  Hy-rib  is  used  on  steel  I  beams,  this  floor 
will  cost  on  6'  spans  about  18.5c.  per  sq.  ft.,,  and  on  8'  spans 
about  21. 5c.  per  sq.  ft.  This  slab  will  support  a  load  of  600 
to  800  Ibs.  per  sq.  ft. 

None  of  the  above  figures  include  the  cost  of  the  steel  frame 
work. 

All  the  above  figures  include  the  cost  of  fireproofing  the 
beams  as  shown  in  the  sketches,  and  in  fact  the  cost  of  the 
completed  floor  just  as  shown,  including  the  plastering  un- 
derneath the  Hy-rib,  as  per  specifications  in  the  new  Hy-rib 
Catalogue. 

In  all  those  cases  where  a  wooden  finished  floor  is  not 
shown  we  have  figured  on  1"  of  first-class  cement  finish  on 
the  top  of  the  concrete  slab  itself,  this  finish  being  figured  at 
a  cost  of  21/4c.  per  sq.  ft.  in  place. 


460  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

ROOFS: — The  cost  of  the  roof  depends  largely  on  the  span. 
The  standard  thickness  of  roof  slab  constructed  on  Hy-rib  is 
1*£"  above  the  base  of  the  Hy-rib  and  about  %"  plastered  on 
below.  This  slab  will  cost,  in  addition  to  the  cost  of  26  gauge 
Hy-rib  itself,  about  8c.  per  sq.  ft.  complete,  besides  the  spe- 
cial waterproofing,  such  as  Carey  Roofing  or  Barrett  Speci- 
fications or  something  of  that  kind.  (This  waterproof  roofing 
will  usually  cost  somewhere  between  2%  and  3M>c.  per  sq.  ft) 
This  cost  is  made  up  of  the  following  items: 

Removing  Hy-rib  from  car  and  placing  on  the  roof,  7%c. 
per  sq.  ft. 

Temporary  shoring  (if  26  Hy-rib  is  used  on  spans  greater 
than  4'  or  if  24  Hy-rib  is  used  on  spans  greater  than  5')  ^c. 
per  sq.  ft. 

l1/^"  of  best  1:2:4  rock  concrete  in  place,  4c.  per  sq.  ft. 

Plastering  underneath,  2.75c.  per  sq.  ft. 

If  thicker  roof  slabs  are  required  lc*  per  sq.  ft.  for  each 
additional  %"  in  thickness  is  a  liberal  allowance. 

The  figure  of  %c.  for  temporary  shoring  is  based  on  sup- 
porting the  Hy-rib  along  one  line  at  the  middle  of  its  span. 
If  the  span  is  so  great  as  to  require  two  supports,  %c.  per 
sq.  ft.  of  floor  should  be  used  instead  of  %c. 

REGARDING  COST  OP  WALLS:— Hy-rib  side  walls  are  be- 
ing built,  the  total  thickness  being  usually  1%",  for  11  to  13c. 
,per  sq.  ft.  complete.  The  writer  knows  at  the  present  time 
of  contracts  covering  several  hundred  thousand  square  feet 
of  this  wall  at  a  price  of  12^.  per  sq.  ft,  all  openings  being 
deducted  in  figuring  the  cost.  In  this  price  is  included  26  Hy- 
rib  at  4^c.  per  sq.  ft.  with  freight  allowed  to  destination. 
We  ordinarily  recommend  28  Hy-rib  which  is  approximately 
%€.  cheaper  per  sq.  ft. 

The  above  figures  for  Hy-rib  walls  are  the  contract  prices 
and  include  a  contractor's  profit.  The  actual  cost  not  in- 
cluding profit  will  run  from  10  to  12c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  actual 
area,  openings  being  deducted. 

SOLID  PARTITIONS:— Solid  partitions  built  with  Hy-rib 
having  a  thickness  of  1%"  to  2"  will  cost  complete  in  place, 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  461 

including  the  finish  coats  of  plaster  on  both  sides,  about  $1.05 
per  sq.  yd.  This  cost  includes  all  labor  and  all  material. 

HOLLOW  PARTITIONS:— If  desired  to  use  Hy-rib  for  hol- 
low partition  construction  the  studding  can  be  spaced  at  least 
4'  apart  and  the  Hy-rib  sheets  run  horizontally.  A  partition 
thus  constructed  with  studding  about  4'  on  centers,  with  Hy- 
rib  run  horizontally,  and  plastered  on  the  outside  only  as  or- 
dinary lath  is  plastered,  would  cost  about  $1.10  per  sq.  yd. 
complete. 

CEILINGS: — An  ordinary  ceiling  made  with  28  gauge  Hy-rib 
on  joists  or  studding  spaced  16"  on  centers  would  cost  about 
65c.  per  sq.  yd.  The  joists  could  as  well  be  spacec1  3'  on  cen- 
ters so  far  as  the  Hy-rib  is  concerned  and  the  corresponding 
saving  be  made  in  the  cost  of  the  ceiling. 

On  suspended  ceilings  where  it  is  necessary  to  have  a  fram- 
ing of  light  steel  work  spaced  about  4'-6"  center  to  center  to 
which  the  Hy-rib  is  to  be  attached,  the  cost  of  the  completed 
job  including  steel  framing,  Hy-rib,  and  all  labor  and  ma- 
terials will  average  about  95c.  per  sq.  yd. 

REGARDING  SILOS: — A  silo  with  a  single  wall  can  be  con- 
structed for  about  loc.  per  sq.  ft.  of  wall  area.  This,  how- 
ever, does  not  include -the  doors,  the  roof,  nor  foundation,  but 
simply  the  walls.  If  a  double  wall  is  desired  this  figure 
should  be  increased  to  about  25c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  wall.  This 
figure  also  does  not  include  the  doors,  roof,  nor  foundations. 

REGARDING  WALLS  FOR  RESIDENCES:— The  cost  in 
Detroit  of  such  a  wall  will  be  20  to  21c  per  sq.  ft.  of  actual 
wall  surface.  This  cost  includes  the  studding,  the  furring 
strips,  the  asbestos  board  or  building  paper,  the  6"  strips  of 
building  paper,  the  Trus-con  Bonding  Coat,  the  Waterproof 
Filler,  the  Hy-rib  Sheathing,  the  Rib  Lath,  the  Cement  mor- 
tar, the  interior  plastering,  and  all  labor  of  putting  all  these 
materials  in  their  place.  There  is  absolutely  no  question 
about  the  strength,  durability  and  artistic  appearance  of  this 
construction." 


462 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


The  following  cuts  are  the  ones  referred  to  in  the  forego- 
ing statement.  The  short  descriptions  are  to  give  a  clearer 
understanding  of  the  system. 


HY-RIB    FLOOR— TYPE    A. 

HY-RIB  sheets  are  laid  on  top  of  steel  beam,  concrete  poured 
in,  and  under  surface  plastered — no  centering  is  used. 


HY-RIB  FLOOR— TYPE   B. 

Finished  concrete  slab  is  flush  with  top  of  steel  beam,  giv- 
ing greater  head  room  below  beams — HY-RIB  sheets  are 
supported  on  the  sides  of  beam  boxes  used  as  centering  for 
the  steel  beam  fireproofing — no  other  centering  is  necessary. 


HY-RIB  FLOOR— TYPE  C. 

Flat  ceiling  is  secured  by  constructing  HY-RIB  slab  on 
the  lower  flange  of  beam — a  light  cinder  fill  over  the  slab 
brings  the  finished  floor  flush  with  top  of  steel  beam — no 
centering  is  necessary. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


463 


HY-RIB   FLOOR— TYPE    D. 

Ends  of  HY-RIB  sheets  are  curved  and  rest  on  lower 
flange  of  beams.  HY-RIB  provides  the  fireproofing  of  steel 
beams  without  the  use  of  any  centering.  With  reinforced 
concrete  beams  the  sides  of  the  beam  boxes  are  done  away 
with  as  the  ends  of  the  HY-RIB  sheets  rest  on  the  bottom 
board. 


HY-RIB   FLOOR— TYPE    E. 

Arched  concrete  floors  used  for  carrying  heavy  loads. 
HY-RIB  comes  to  the  job  bent  to  exact  curve.  Ends  of 
sheets  rest  on  lower  flange  of  beam.  Concrete  is  poured  in 
above  and  plaster  applied  to  the  lower  surface.  No  center- 
ing is  necessary. 


HY-RIB     FLOORS     WITH     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 

BEAMS— TYPES  A,  B  AND  C. 

HY-RIB  sheets  are  supported  on  the  sides  of  the  beam 
boxes  used  for  centering  the  concrete  beams — no  other  cen- 
tering necessary.  If  HY-RIB  extends  over  concrete  beams, 
punch  out  the  lathing  between  the  ribs  to  permit  filling  of 
the  beam. 


464 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


HOOFS: — The  construction  of  roofs  is  similar  to  that  of 
floors,  except  that  the  loads  are  lighter  and  a  correspondingly 
lighter  construction  is  desirable.  In  this  field  HY-RIB  is 
especially  useful,  as  slabs  as  thin  as  1%  inches  can  be  built. 
It  saves  in  the  dead  weight  of  the  construction,  and  conse- 
quently permits  the  use  of  lighter  roof  trusses. 

Concrete  construction  has  at  times  been  rejected  when 
desired  for  roofs  of  industrial  plants,  •  solely  because  of  the 
prohibitive  cost  of  the  falsework  when  roofs  are  20  to  .50 
feet  above  the  ground.  With  HY-RIB  no  centering  is  neces- 
sary, and  it  can  be  as  readily  installed  as  ordinary  wood 
boards. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


465 


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CEILINGS. 

HY-RIB,  as  used  in  ceilings,  does  away  entirely  with  the 
small  channels,  T's,  angles,  and  studs  necessary  where  the 
ordinary  type  of  lath  is  used. 

HY-RIB  is  placed  with  the  lath  surface  downward,  pre- 
sents a  straign  true  surface  for  plastering,  and  requires  a 
minimum  amount  of  material. 


Full  Size  Cross  Section  Hy-Rib  Slab  or  Wall. 
Note  rigidity  and  perfect  surface  for  plastering. 


THE  ROEBLING  CONSTRUCTION  COMPANY. 

This  system  is  not  a  purely  reinforced  concrete  one,  but  is 
used  in  combination  with  steel  columns  and  floor  girders. 
As  noted  in  Mr.  Wason's  paper,  all  heights  of  stories  and 
spacing  of  beams  are  already  attended  to  before  any  form 
work  has  to  be  laid  out,  and  this  part  of  the  contract  is 
cheaper  in  consequence.  The  following  figures  were  sup- 
plied by  the  company  in  the  early  part  of  1910. 
COST:— "  SEGMENTAL  ARCH,  with  concrete  filled  flush 
with  the  top  of  the  beams  and  with  the  flat  steel  and  wire 


466  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

lath  ceiling  construction,  will  average  about  23c.  per  sq.  ft. 
between  10"  beams  in  spans  of  6'  or  less  between  beams. 

COVERING: — For  the  concrete  column  and  girder  protection 
with  interior  steel  anchors,  providing  for  a  minimum  thick- 
ness of  2"  at  the  corners  of  the  members,  an  average  price  of 
about  16c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  plastering  surface  should  be  allowed. 

FOR  OUR  SEGMENTAL  ARCH  system,  without  ceiling 
protection  and  with  the  soffits  of  the  beams  protected,  the 
price  will  generally  average  20c.  per  sq.  ft.  in  spans  of  7'  or 
less  between  15"  beams.  The  soffit  protection  provides  a 
minimum  thickness  of  2"  of  concrete  to  the  beam. 

FLAT  SYSTEM: — For  the  flat  reinforced  concrete  floor  con- 
struction ,  Type  10,  the  price  per  square  foot,  between 
10"  beams  and  spans  of  7'  or  less  with  the  concrete  slab  4'* 
in  thickness  and  including  the  flat  light  steel  and  metal  lath 
ceilings,  will  average  20c.  The  column  and  girder  protec- 
tion the  same  as  already  named. 

PANELED: — For  the  flat  system  paneled  ceiling  effect,  Type 
No.  6,  without  flat  wire  ceilings,  the  price  is  17c.  per  sq.  ft. 
between  10"  beams  and  in  spans  of  7'  or  less.  The  Type 
10,  with  4"  concrete  slab  flush  with  the  bottoms  of  shal- 
low beams,  that  is,  beams  not  exceeding  9"  in  depth,  the 
price  is  14c.  per  sq.  ft. 

CONCRETE  FILLER: — None  of  the  above  figures  include 
any  plaster  work,  wood  work,  or  concrete  fill.  Our  standard 
fill  consisting  of  one  part  Portland  Cement  to  ten  parts  steam 
boiler  cinders  (without  sand)  is  worth  about  Ic.  per  sq.  ft. 
per  inch  of  depth  when  the  fill  is  2"  or  more  in  depth. 

PARTITION:— In  the  partition  construction,  the  solid  2" 
concrete  partition  is  worth  about  $1.35  per  sq.  yd.,  erected  in 
place;  similarly,  the  hollow  partition,  finishing  4"  thick,  is 
worth  about  $1.10  per  sq.  yd.  The  single  partition  finishing 
2"  thick  is  worth  about  70c.  per  sq.  yd.  The  above  prices  in- 
clude only  metal  work  and  framing  around  door  and  sash 
openings  and  include  no  plaster  or  wood  work. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


467 


CORNICES,  ETC.: — Furring  and  lathing  for  ornamental  cor- 
nices, coves,  etc.,  where  the  perimeter  does  not  exceed  2',  15c. 
per  sq.  ft.  of  plastering  surface.  The  plain  boxing  of  girders 
where  the  surfaces  are  plain  and  the  corners  square,  simply 
furring  them  out  to  larger  dimensions,  the  price  is  about 
lOc.  per  sq.  ft.  of  plastering  surface. 

DOMES: — Large  ornamental  domes,  vaulted  ceilings,  groined 
arches,  etc.,  20c.  to  40c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  plastering  surface,  in- 
cluding the  furring  and  light  metal  supports  and  metal  lath 
ready  to  receive  plaster." 

The  following  illustrations  show  the  "  Types  "  referred  to 
in  the  Roebling  statement. 

TYPE  1. 


This  illustrates  the  flat  construction  with  a  4-inch  thick  re- 
inforced cinder  concrete  slab  finishing  2  1-2  inches  above  the 
top  of  the  beams  and  2  inches  below  the  bottom  flange  of  the 
beams. 

This  type  was  designed  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  new 
building  code  of  New  York  City. 


This  shows  the  4-inch  reinforced  cinder  concrete  slab  con- 
struction, finishing  flush  with  the  top  of  the  beam,  and  the 
same  as  Type  1,  in  other  respects. 


468  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

TYPE  9. 


Another  method  of  flat  construction,  showing  the  method  used 
in  attaching  wire  lath  ceiling.  Used  extensively  in  residential 
and  office  building  construction  in  New  York  City  and  else- 
where. 

TYPE   10. 


This  illustrates  the  reinforced  cinder  concrete  slab  construc- 
tion, finishing  flush  with  the  top  of  the  beam  and  without  soffit 
protection,  and  showing  the  wire  lath  ceiling  clipped  direct  to 
the  under  side  of  the  beam. 

TYPE   19. 


/.'•/•'•I 

^Vi 

*   * 

•V 

The  reinforced  cinder  concrete  slab  construction  illustrated 
here  finishes  either  flush  vith  the  bottom  or  1  1-2  inches  below 
the  bottom  flange  of  the  beam,  with  a  cinder  fill  on  top  of 
same  to  and  flush  with  the  top  of  the  beam. 

THE  REINFORCING  used  throughout  consists  of  2x1-8  inch  or 
1  1-4x3-16  inch  flat  steel  bars  set  on  edge  and  spaced  16  inches 
on  centers  with  the  bars,  attached  to  the  beams  by  clamping 
their  ends  around  the  top  flange  of  same,  or  by  hanging  them 
in  stirrups  from  the  top  flanges.  These  bars  are  held  in  posi- 
tion by  separators  made  of  No.  5  round  rods,  and  are  placed 
two  to  a  span. 

A  STANDARD  MIXTURE  for  this  type  of  construction  is  one 
part  cement,  two  parts  sand,  and  five  parts  cinders.. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


469 


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470  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

THE  HENNEBIQUE  SYSTEM 

This  is  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  new  construction.  The 
company  has  already  put  up  22,000  buildings  in  Europe, 
Africa,  China,  Mexico,  and  the  Americas.  As  contractors  it 
has  finished  more  than  $100,000,000  worth  of  work;  and  em- 
ploys also  a  corps  of  consulting  engineers. 

There  have  been  many  official  tests  of  reinforced  concrete, 
but  the  Hennebique  Company  supplied  one  of  the  best  tests 
yet  devised;  and  it  was  an  unexpected  one.  Two  five-story 
grain  warehouses  in  Tunis  settled  and  leaned  over  like  the 
tower  at  Pisa.  They  were  loaded  with  sand  on  the  high  side, 
and  by  excavating  on  the  same  side  were  brought  back  to 
position  uninjured. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  more  a  man  knows  about  any- 
thing the  greater  he  sees  his  ignorance  to  be;  and  this  com- 
pany, while  willing  to  give  costs  on  any  specific  work,  did 
not  like  to  give  tables  of  averages  for  "  The  New  Building 
Estimator,"  as  the  other  companies  already  quoted,  owing  to 
differences  due  to  location,  nature  of  building,  etc. 

The  following  useful  figures  are  from  their  printed  cata- 
logue: 

ECONOMY: — "The  cost  of  the  Hennebique  System  of  Ar- 
mored Concrete  ranges  between  that  of  mill  construction  and 
steel  skeleton  fireproof  construction.  Considering  the  item 
of  insurance,  however,  Armored  Concrete  becomes  more  eco- 
nomical than  the  apparently  cheaper  mill  construction. 

In  the  item  of  insurance  alone  the  saving  on  premiums  for 
three  or  four  years  would  more  than  make  up  the  increased 
cost  of  Armored  Concrete  over  the  other  non-fire  systems. 
Take,  for  example,  a  Warehouse  which  would  cost  say 
$100,000,  and  in  which  merchandise  to  the  amount  of  $200,000 
would  be  stored.  The  insurance  premiums  for  mill  construc- 
tion at  the  rate  of  $1.40  per  hundred  would  amount  annually 
to  $4,900.  If  built  in  the  Hennebique  System  the  premiums 
would  be  at  the  rate  of  35  cts.  per  hundred,  or  $1,050  per 
annum,  an  annual  saving  of  $3,150,  equal  to  3.15  per  cent, 
of  the  investment. 

As  Hennebique  structures  are  but  10  per  cent  to  15  per 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  471 

cent,  more  expensive  than  non-fireproof  constructions,  in 
three  or  four  years  the  increase  in  cost  of  the  building  will 
have  been  saved  by  the  reduction  in  insurance  premiums. 

In  replacing  structural  steel  or  masonry  by  Armored  Con- 
crete, a  reduction  in  the  thickness  of  the  walls  and  floors  of 
structures  is  possible.  Where  a  twenty-four  inch  brick  wall 
is  required  a  seven  or  eight  inch  concrete  wall  will  replace 
it.  The  dead  space  is  considerably  reduced  and  the  renting 
space  of  the  building  is  consequently  increased.  If  we  take 
an  ordinary  office  building  in  which  seven-inch  walls  are 
used  instead  of  brick  walls,  the  increase,  of  renting  space 
would  be  about  15  per  cent,  per  floor.  By  using  an  Armored 
Concrete  floor  the  thickness  of  the  floor  is  also  reduced  and 
this  permits  a  saving  of  space  in  the  total  height  of  the 
building. 

We  often  use  five-inch  slabs  for  long  spans  where  steel 
and  fireproofing  would  require  a  fourteen-inch  thickness  of 
floor.  This  causes  a  saving  of  nine  inches  for  each  floor,  or 
ten  feet  six  inches  on  a  fourteen-story  building,  thus  saving 
an  entire  story  in  the  height,  a  gain  of  14  per  cent. 

The  use  of  Armored  Concrete  makes  it  possible,  in  New 
York,  to  construct  an  eight-story  tenement  house  of  the  same 
height  as  a  seven-story  building  if  other  materials  are  used. 

The  small  dimensions  of  Armored  Concrete  structures  are 
not  only  of  importance  in  saving  dead  space  of  buildings,  but 
also  in  dimensions  of  foundation  and  retaining  walls,  where 
the  saving  is  a  great  one.  Where  a  foundation  of  five  or 
six  feet  is  required  in  ordinary  masonry,  it  is  possible  to  do 
this  in  Armored  Concrete  with  a  fifteen-inch  footing." 

OTHER  DATA: — The  foregoing  figures  give  a  valuable  pre- 
sentation of  the  cost  of  reinforced  work,  both  detailed  and 
complete,  by  the  leading  construction  companies;  and  taken 
together  with  Chap.  VII  supply  what  builders  require  for 
comparison.  The  following  items  of  cost,  etc.,  are  from  vari- 
ous sources,  and  are  also  worth  preserving: 

In  "  Carpentry  and  Building,"  August,  1909,  there  is  a  sum- 
mary from  Emile  G.  Perrot's  paper  on  the  Cost  of  Reinforced 
Concrete  Buildings.  A  few  of  the  conclusions  are  as  follows: 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

"  Reinforced  concrete  costs  from  10  to  30  per  cent,  more 
than  slow  burning  mill  construction."  But  the  cheaper  in- 
surance has  to  be  considered. 

In  comparing  the  cost  of  reinforced  concrete  construction 
with  steel  construction  fireproofed,  we  find  that  concrete 
construction  is  cheaper.  Actual  bids  on  the  two  types  of  con- 
struction for  the  same  buildings  obtained  reveal  some  inter- 
esting facts. 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  VS.  STEEL  CONSTRUCTION 
For  the  Ketterlinus  Building  in  Philadelphia,  which  is  an 
eight-story  and  basement  building,  reinforced  concrete  was 
decidedly  cheaper  by  about  20  per  cent.,  and  made  a  much 
stiff er  building  to  resist  the  shocks  of  ^the  heavy  lithographic 
presses  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  stories  of  the  building. 

Another  notable  instance  of  the  saving  effected  by  the  use 
of  reinforced  concrete  is  the  Boyertown  Building,  Philadel- 
phia. The  owners  saved  about  $60,000  by  the  skillful  use  of 
reinforced  concrete  for  the  entire  construction,  representing 
a  saving  of  about  30  per  cent.  It  is  10  stories  and  basement, 
built  of  a  concrete  cage  having  the  front  veneered  with  gran- 
ite in  the  first  story  and  brick  and  terra  cotta  in  the  upper 
stories. 

To  sum  up,  the  cost  of  reinforced  concrete  buildings  can 
best  be  considered  by  classifying  them  under  several  head- 
ings: 

1.  Warehouses  and  manufactories.     Cost  8  to  11  cents  per 
cubic  foot. 

2.  Stores  and  loft  buildings.    Cost,  11  to  17  cents  per  cubic 
foot. 

3.  Miscellaneous,  such  as  schools  and  hospitals.     Cost,  15 
to  20  cents  per  cubic  foot. 

These  costs  include  the  building  complete,  omitting  power, 
heat,  light,  elevators  and  decorations  or  furnishings." 

COST  OF  FORMS,  ETC.: — The  average  contractor  cannot  ex- 
pect to  handle  this  class  of  work  so  well  as  those  who  make 
it  a  specialty.  The  following  figures  from  Fred.  W.  Hagloch 
are  worth  noting  as  a  caution  to  some  who  want  to  walk  be- 
fore they  creep: 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  473 

"  The  labor  cost  in  concrete  form  building  is  a  very  uncer- 
tain figure  as  no  two  men  do  the  same  amount  of  work  per 
day.  I  have  had  a  squad  of  carpenters  and  helpers  that 
would  build  forms  for  24  by  24-inch  columns  at  less  than  10 
cents  per  foot  height  and  again  I  have  seen  it  cost  as  much 
as  35  cents  per  foot.  Then  conditions  make  a  wide  differ- 
ence and  I  recall  an  instance  where  forms  cost  as  much  as 
70  cents  per  cubic  foot  of  concrete,  as  no  form  could  be  used 
over  again  in  stories  higher  up.  The  side  wall  forms  are 
worth  from  6  to  20  cents  per  square  foot  for  labor,  but  it  is 
all  guess  work,  for  even  the  nature  of  the  lumber  affects  the 
labor  cost  data.  Besides  that,  the  cost  of  forms  is  always 
the  big  item  in  reinforced  concrete,  and  until  we  have  a  sys- 
tem of  changeable  forms,  it  always  will  be.  I  recall  an  in- 
stance where  a  contracting  firm  underestimated  the  cost  of 
forms  $28,000  on  a  building  which  they  contracted  to  build 
for  the  sum  of  $230,000.  In  fact,  their  estimate  as  to  cost  of 
forms  was  only  $17,000  and  the  total  cost  amounted  to  $45,000. 

The  cost  of  labor  per  cubic  yard  for  reinforced  work  of 
sizes  given  will  be  as  follows:  First-story  columns,  $2.35 
per  yard;  walls,  $2.75  per  yard.  Second-story  columns,  $2.66 
per  yard.  Walls,  $3.00,  and  so  on  up.  These  figures  are  based 
on  machine  mixing  and  elevator." 

UNLOADING  MATERIAL:— The  following  data  by  T.  Her- 
bert Files  in  "  Engineering-Contracting,"  April  7,  1909,  are 
valuable  for  cost  of  unloading.  Actual  costs  are  given  for 
all  the  figures.  The  wages  paid  per  hour  ran  to  I7%c.  for 
unskilled  labor;  19%c.  for  concrete  workers;  for  steel,  25c.; 
rough  carpentry,  30c.;  carpenters,  41c.;  foremen  in  their  or- 
der, 30c.,  40c.,  30c.,  50c. 

UNLOADING: — FOR  CEMENT  unloading  directly  into  stor- 
age shed,  with  little  carrying  6  men  can  handle  600  bags  or 
150  barrels  in  3  hours,  at  a  unit  cost  of  2c.  per  barrel.  If 
unloaded  by  wheelbarrows  with  a  distance  of  100  ft,  it  will 
cost  4c.  per  barrel,  but  may  run  up  to  5c.  or  6c.  if  the  men 
are  not  handled  in  the  proper  manner. 

SAND  AND  GRAVEL  will  cost  on  an  average  of  8c.  per  cu. 
yd.  for  unloading,  laborers  shoveling  it  from  the  car  to  the 


474  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

storage  pile  nearby.  The  cost  varies  from  6  to  10c.,  depend- 
ing upon  conditions. 

REINFORCING  STEEL  BARS  can  be  unloaded  at  a  cost 
varying  from  35c  to  $3.00  per  ton,  depending  upon  the  carry- 
ing distance.  Here  are  some  actual  costs: 

Unloading  %"x20'  twisted  steel,  from  box  cars  and  piling 
it  on  ground  beside  car,  32c.  per  ton. 

Unloading  from  gondola  cars,  carrying  300  ft.  and  piling  on 
racks  in  steel  shed,  $3.00  per  ton. 

LUMBER: — The  unloading  of  lumber  differs  considerably  in 
cost,  same  depending  upon  the  distance  carried  and  the  size 
of  the  sticks.  It  was  found,  however,  from  our  records  that 
it  cost  from  70c.  to  $1.00  per  1,000  ft.  B.  M.  to  unload,  haul 
200  ft.  and  pile  form  sheathing. 

FORMS: — The  following  are  some  of  the  costs  of  forms  made 
in  a  field  carpenter  shop,  which  consisted  of  two  saw  ma- 
chines, a  planing  and  a  boring  machine,  with  a  shop  foreman 
in  charge. 

Per  Sq.  Ft. 

of  Surface. 

Girders  and  beams  5  cts. 

Floor  panels  2  cts. 

Wall  panels 3  cts. 

The  cost  of  setting  forms  for  the  floors,  which  included 
time  spent  in  the  moving  of  the  forms  from  one  floor  to  an- 
other, erecting  and  setting  the  forms  of  columns,  beams,  and 
floor  panels  and  the  falsework  supporting  them,  was  figured 
per  sq.  ft.  of  floor  surface.  The  costs  of  different  floor  set- 
ups varied,  because  the  men  at  first  were  unskilled  and  not 
well  organized.  From  1,300  to  1,800  sq.  ft.  of  floor  were  set 
up  in  a  day  These  costs  ranged  from  13c.  per  sq.  ft.  for  the 
first  set-up  to  4.7c.  for  the  roof  set-up,  making  an  average  of 
8.4c.  per  sq.  ft. 

The  stripping  of  the  floor  forms  cost  from  2.5c.  to  1.5c.  per 
sq.  ft,  or  an  average  of  1.9c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  floor.  This  makes 
the  cost  of  setting  up  and  stripping  of  forms  for  floors  aver- 
age 10.3c.  per  sq.  ft.  of  floor. 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  475 

The  curtain  walls,  between  columns,  were  put  in  place  after 
the  floors  and  cost  from  6  to  lOc  per  sq.  ft.  of  form  surface 
for  setting  up,  or  an  average  of  8c.  The  cost  of  stripping 
these  was  y2c.  per  sq.  ft.  Partition  walls  and  outside  plain 
walls  cost  from  4  to  8c.  per  sq.  ft  of  form  surface,  or  an 
average  of  5c.  for  setting  and  y2c.  per  sq.  ft.  for  stripping. 

STEEL:— The  cost  of  the  steel  work  is  divided  as  follows: 

Per  Ton. 

Unloading    $2.00 

Making  up  steel   5.50 

Carrying 1.75 

Placing    1.00 

Total     $10.25 

CONCRETING: — The  greatest  wheeling  distance  was  350  ft. 
and  the  least  50  ft.,  making  the  average  distance  200  ft.  The 
cost  of  concreting  columns  and  floors  ranged  from  2.8c.  to- 
4.2c.  per  cu.  ft.,  or  an  average  cost  of  3.5c.  per  cu,  ft. 

CENTERING  OR  FORMS: — A  word  of  caution  is  necessary 
as  to  the  difference  of  cost  of  form  work  for  rough  and  fin- 
ished surfaces.  If  an  extra  smooth  surface  is  insisted  on, 
then  the  inside  of  the  forms  has  to  be  carefully  built,  and,  ac- 
cording to  one  expert,  the  cost  is  at  least  doubled. 

EXPANDED  METAL  SHEETS:— The  ordinary  3'xl2'  sheets 
can  be  laid  by  two  men  at  the  rate  of  125  to  150  in  a  day, 
when  working  under  average  conditions.  The  lighter  material 
naturally  costs  more  than  the  heavy  sheets.  The  cost  per 
ton  can  be  estimated  according  to  the  rate  of  wages. 

PERCENTAGES: — On  a  number  of  office  buildings  the  per- 
centage of  cost  ran  as  follows: 

Labor    40      Steel    20 

Cement    14       Lumber    11 

Stone   and   sand    10      Miscellaneous    5 

DETAILED  COSTS:— In  "Engineering-Contracting"  for 
April  29,  1908,  there  is  an  account  of  a  factory  building  100' 
xlOO',  with  extension  of  55'  on  one  side.  The  first  story  was 


476 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


18',  the  second  12'.    There  were  847  cu.  yds.  of  concrete  used. 

It  was  machine  mixed  and  hoisted.    The  figures  are  valuable 
for  the  average  contractor: 

MATERIALS 

Per 
Cu.  Yd. 

Cement  at  $2.05  per  bbl    $  3,314  $  3.91 

Sand  and  gravel  at  $1.25  per  cu.  yd 1,054  1.20 

Reinforcement  at  $55  per  ton 2,314  2.75 

Form  lumber  4,944  5.84 

Nails,  etc 107  0.13 

Total  materials   $11,733  $13.88 

LABOR 

Building  runs,  hoisting  and  mixing  engineer, 

378  hrs.  at  25  cts $  94.50  $  0.111 

Laborers,  3,826  hrs.  at  17£  cts 669.55  0.790 

Carpenters,  308£  hrs.  at  35  cts 107.98  0.127 

Total  $872.03  $  1.028 

PLACING   AND   TAMPING 

Laborers,  3,211^  hrs.  at  17$  cts $562.00  $  0.663 

PLACING    REINFORCEMENT 

Laborers,  1,263  hrs.  at  17|  cts.  42  tons $221.00  $  0.260 

BUILDING    AND    ERECTING    FORMS 

Carpenters,  4,700  hrs.  at  35  cts $  1,645.00  $  1.942 

Carpenters,  1,212  hrs.  at  30  cts 364.50  0.430 

Total  $  2,009.50  $  2.372 

STRIPPING    CENTERING,    CLEANING    UP 

Carpenters,  420  hrs.  at  30  cts $  126.00  0.148 

Laborers,  1,451  hrs.  at  17£  cts 253.93  0.299 

Total 379.93  0.447 

SUPERINTENDENCE 

Foreman,  44  days  at  $6  264.00  .311 

Superintendent,  2|  months  at  $100 250.00  0.295 

Engineering  inspecting,  inc.  trav.  exp 200.00  0.236 

Total  $  714.00  $  0.842 

Tools  and  depreciation 338.00  0.386 

Total  labor $  5,096.46  $  5.998 

Total  materials  and  labor    $16.829.46  $19.878 


ACTUAL   COST   OF   REINFORCED    CONCRETE.  477 

SUMMARY: — The  experience  of  several  of  the  largest  firms 
is  better  than  that  of  any  one  man  or  company;  and  costs 
compiled  from  many  buildings  in  different  sections  are  su- 
perior to  those  that  are  found  by  taking  only  one  building  in 
one  corner  of  the  United  States.  It  is  well,  however,  to  re- 
member that  Mr.  Wason's  experience  is  that  location  does 
not  affect  costs  as  much  as  is  often  supposed,  as  one  item 
frequently  offsets  another. 

The  cost  of  reinforced-concrete  work  is  being  steadily  re- 
duced, according  to  the  Aberthaw  records;  but  the  ordinary 
contractor  who  only  occasionally  erects  a  concrete  building 
will  seldom  be  able  to  equal,  let  alone  reduce,  the  figures  in 
this  chapter;  and  thus  for  general  use  they  may  be  held  to 
be  as  nearly  correct  as  is  possible  to  obtain  for  a  fair  com- 
parison and  check,  for  a  long  time  to  come,  or  until  radical 
changes  are  made  in  the  system  of  forms  used. 

SETTING    STEEL 

A  great  variation  in  the  cost  of  setting  steel  per  ton  is 
shown  on  page  446.  Figures  are  given  on  pp.  216-218  for 
ordinary  and  special  work  of  this  kind. 

On  an  18-story  building  erected  in  1912  the  steel  was  set 
for  $11  per  ton  complete,  with  one  coat  of  paint,  and  a  haul 
of  half  a  mile  included. 

SURFACING  CONCRETE:— Business  buildings  are  not  usu- 
ally covered  with  stucco  or  other  material  as  dwellings 
are,  but  may  be  treated  in  another  manner.  One  way  is  to 
improve  the  surface  with  various  tools  driven  by  compressed 
air.  Another  is  by  sand  blasting. 

These  methods  break  through  the  glazed  surface  that,  in 
damp  climates,  at  least,  many  would  rather  see  preserved, 
but  gives  a  finish  that  does  away  with  all  appearance  of 
joints,  irregular  and  rough  surfaces.  Bush  hammers,  bush 
chisels,  and  sand  blasting  are  the  principal  agencies.  Some 
cost  figures  are  given  in  "Concrete"  for  January,  1912. 

Working  with  hammers  and  chisels  on  panels,  balustrades, 
molding  and  soffits  of  arches  the  cost  came  to  5  1-2  cents 


478  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

per  square  foot  with  labor  at  30  cents  per  hour.  This  does 
not  include  compressed  air. 

With  concrete  30  days  old  100  sq  ft  of  fiat  surface  was  done 
in  9  hours,  but  only  40  to  50  on  more  intricate  surfaces. 
From  10  to  20  per  cent  more  can  be  done  with  concrete  only 
4  days  old. 

SAND  BLASTING: — A  complete  outfit  of  machinery  for  this 
work  comes  to  about  $450  in  eastern  cities,  with  freight  to 
be  added  for  other  points.  The  hose  for  the  air  costs  about 
50  cents  per  foot,  with  80  ft  included  in  the  above  price. 

With  such  an  equipment  600  sq  ft  can  be  blasted  in  a  day, 
at  a  cost  of  from  4  to  5  cents  per  sq  ft. 

Some  contractors  figure  such  work  at  8  to  10  cents  per 
sq  ft.  The  height  of  the  work  from  the  ground  has  to  be 
considered,  and  whether  scaffolding  is  in  place  or  has  to 
be  supplied.  The  character  of  the  surface  naturally  governs 
the  price.  Some  buildings  are  plain  all  over,  and  others  are 
covered  with  pilasters,  pediments,  balustrades,  and  moldings. 

A  large  amount  of  this  kind  of  work  has  been  done  in 
renovating  the  facades  of  the  brownstone  houses  in  eastern 
cities,  and  especially  in  New  York  City.  (See  page  72.) 

WHITE  CEMENT: — On  page  72  allusion  is  made  to  La  Farge 
cement,  an  imported  article  used  for  non-staining  purposes 
on  stone  setting.  For  this  purpose,  and  also  for  white  ar- 
tificial stone,  there  are  now  several  brands  made  in  the 
United  States.  The  price  runs  from  $4  to  $6  per  barrel,  de- 
pending upon  freight,  etc. 

Some  of  the  brands  are  supplied  by  the  Atlas  Portland 
Cement  Company,  Sandusky  Portland  Cement  Company,  Vul- 
canite (Berkshire)  Portland  Cement  Company,  Blanc  Stain- 
less Cement  Company,  Allentown,  Pa. 

LARGE  WINDOWS: — On  such  buildings  as  are  shown  in 
the  cuts,  Nos.  7  and  8,  the  area  of  glass  may  run  to  30  or 
40  per  cent.  In  one  of  them  it  is  40.  In  reinforced  concrete 
buildings  as  much  as  80  per  cent  may  be  openings. 

The  new  style  of  reinforced  concrete  construction,  coupled 


ACTUAL    COST   OF   REINFORCED    CONCRETE.  479 

with  the  desire  for  strictly  fireproof  buildings,  has  brought 
with  it  metal  window  frames  and  sash  to  suit.  One  of  the 
most  popular  of  these  makes  is  the  Fenestra,  manufactured 
by  the  Detroit  Steel  Products  Company.  The  square  foot 
prices  given  below  were  furnished  for  this  work  by  the  com- 
pany. Of  course  they  are  approximate  only,  as  different 
sizes  of  glass,  weight  of  metal,  and  other  factors  affect  the 
price. 

There  are  about  200  standard  makes  for  all  purposes.  The 
sash  get  one  factory  coat  of  paint,  and  the  glazing  is  done 
after  erection.  The  putty  goes  on  the  inside  of  the  building. 
It  is  made  of  lead  and  linseed  oil,  but  has  20  per  cent  of 
litharge.  It  may  be  supplied  by  the  factory  at  a  cheaper 
rate  than  it  can  be  manufactured  by  the  contractor.  A  10x16 
light  requires  9  ounces,  and  a  12x18  about  11,  but  this  is 
approximate. 

The  following  prices  are  fob  Detroit,  and  consequently 
freight,  hauling  from  depot,  putty  and  erection  have  to  be 
added.  The  glass  size  all  through  is  12x18  standard.  For 
10x16  the  price  would  be  5  or  6c  per  sq  ft  extra.  The  glass 
is  not  included,  as  different  kinds  may  be  used.  (See  p  206 
for  price  of  common,  ribbed,  wire,  plain  or  polished.) 

Per  Sq  Ft 

WINDOW  A,  semi-circular  head    25c 

WINDOW  B,  camber  head   '. 31c 

WINDOW  C    22c 

WINDOW  D     24c 

WINDOW  E    19c 

WINDOW  F    22c 

The  necessary  hardware  is  included  to  attach  the  frame 
to  the  masonry  or  steel  work. 

ERECTION:— As  a  general  rule  the  allowance  of  5c  per 
sq  ft  covers  the  work.  In  a  steel  frame  it  can  be  done  for 
3  1-2  to  4c. 

LABOR  GLAZING:— The  cost  of  this,  including  the  putty, 
runs  from  8  1-2  to  9c  per  light.  This  does  not  include  glass. 


480 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE 


481 


482 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


i: 


ACTUAL     COST     OF     REINFORCED     CONCRETE  483 

As  the  standard  light  is  12x18,  or  exactly  1 1-2  sq  ft,  the  cost 
per  sq  ft  may  be  set  at  6  cents.  On  page  206  lights  of  10x14 
are  noted  as  being  set  for  1  l-2c  without  putty  on  the  win- 
dows of  Nos.  7  and  8,  but  the  sash  were  handled  on  the 
ground,  while  the  Fenestra  is  glazed  after  erection. 

VENTILATORS  are  swung  on  pivots.  They  may  be  of  any 
size  desired. 

TOTAL: — Window  A  25c  for  sash  and  frame;  5c  erection; 
6c  glazing  and  putty;  12x18,  D.  S.  common  glass,  11;  total 
47c  per  sq  ft.  Allow  freight  and  hauling  extra. 

COMPARISON:— The  60-light  windows  in  Nos.  7  and  8  cov- 
ered 250  sq  ft.  The  cost  unglazed,  but  delivered  at  the  build- 
ing; is  given  on  page  182,  also  the  weight  of  the  sash.  Each 
frame  included  3  sets  of  windows.  Allowing  at  25c  in 
stead  of  22  the  frame  and  sash  come  to  $62.50;  180  lights 
10x14,  S.  S.,  $11.70:  setting  same,  $2.70;  putty,  25  Ibs. 
at  4c,  with  points,  $1  (see  page  206,  bottom) ;  carpenter  la- 
bor, $18;  sash  cord,  weights,  lifts  and  locks,  $8;  total,  $103. 90, 
or  about  42c  per  sq  ft  complete.  But  22c  would  more  than 
cover  cost  if  thinner  sash  were  used,  as  2"  was  the  thickness. 
An  allowance  of  38c  would  be  fair. 

Using  type  E  as  a  comparison  with  Nos.  7  and  8  in  wood, 
we  have  19c  for  frame  and  sash;  and  22c  for  the  other  items, 
a  total  of  41c.  But  the  12x18  was  allowed  in  the  first  total 
for  the  Fenestra  at  D.  S.  glass  while  the  wood  had  S.  S. 
On  page  206  we  see  that  the  difference  is  about  4c,  leaving 
the  Fenestra  at  37c. 

There  is  no  freight  or  hauling  to  be  added  on  the  wood 
construction.  It  should  be  noticed,  however,  that  E  is  the 
cheapest  type,  while  on  page  181  a  lower  figure  than  22c  is 
given  for  frame  and  sash  delivered  and  glazed  with  S.  S. 
glass,  and  even  with  D.  S.  Labor  and  hardware  have  to  be 
added. 

On  page  192  glazed  prices  without  frames  are  also  given. 

TILE  ARCHES:— On  some  buildings,  old  style  or  reinforced 
concrete,  the  ceilings  and  domes  are  covered  with  mosaics. 


484  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

and  tiles  of  various  descriptions.  On  a  large  railroad  sta- 
tion for  which  I  made  a  valuation  the  mosaic  cost  $1.50  per 
sq  ft.  On  the  same  station  the  Sienna  marble  was  valued 
at  $2.50  per  sq  ft,  1"  thick. 

Domes  in  churches,  stations,  etc.,  are  of  so  many  kinds 
that  only  an  approximate  idea  of  cost  can  be  given.  The 
following  figures  were  supplied  by  the  Comerma  Company, 
New  York  City. 

Approximate  Cost  of  Cohesive  Tile  Arches  per  sq  ft. 

CARRYING    WEIGHT.     WITHOUT   WEIGHT. 

Unglazed    Glazed    Matt  Unglazed  Glazed    Matt 

Glazed  Glazed 

Flat' Arches    ...   $0.93       $1.01       $1.10       $0.78  $0.86       $0.95 

Domes   1.01         1.09         1.18           .86  .94         1.03 

The  above  figures  are  on  the  basis  of  building  the  arches 
or  domes  themselves,  as  well  as  the  tile  lining  below,  but 
do  not  include  any  filling  above.  The  construction  carries 
its  own  weight,  and  the  floor  load.  The  scaffold  is  not  in- 
cluded below  the  spring  of  arch  or  dome. 
ITALIAN  MARBLE  wainscoting  set  in  place,  $1.10  to  $1.25 
per  sq  ft. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

MEASUREMENT  OF  BUILDING  WORK 
SYSTEM:— On  pages  10,  49,  61,  74,  134,  etc.,  the  system  of 
measurement  adopted  for  this  "Estimator"  is  explained. 
It  is  based  upon  actual  quantities,  as  a  rule,  with  a  few  tri- 
fling exceptions,  one  of  which  may  be  noted  at  the  bottom  of 
page  259.  But  there  is  such  a  difference  of  opinion  among 
contractors  ^as  to  the  respective  merits  of  this  manner  of 
estimating  buildings,  and  the  old  trade  rules  based  upon 
increasing  quantities  rather  than  prices  for  exceptional  work, 
that  the  subject  is  worth  examining  to  some  extent. 

First  of  all,  as  a  contractor  I  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
figuring  masonry,  plastering,  etc.,  in  the  trade  way,  and  get- 
ting into  trouble  over  the  usual  list  of  many  exceptions  to 
one  rule.  I  then  went  to  the  engineering  department  of  a 
railroad  where  part  of  my  duty  was  to  make  estimates  and 
bills  of  material  for  buildings,  large  and  small.  I  followed 
the  trade  custom  for  a  time,  but  finally  adopted  the  engin- 
eering one  of  taking  actual  quantities  only.  This  system 
is  better  in  every  way. 

Assume  that  the  brickwork  of  a  building  is  estimated  in 
the  trade  way:  The  corners  are  doubled;  an  extra  length  is 
allowed  on  intersecting  walls  to  make  up  for  the  time  lost 
plumbing  the  corners;  and  pilasters,  ledgings,  and  such  flat 
surfaces  are  taken  by  a  special  rule  that  changes  according 
to  projection;  while  piers  are  measured  on  two  or  three* 
-sides  depending  upon  their  size.  Ordinary  openings  are  not 
deducted  .those  above  a  certain  number  of  square  feet  are 
deducted,  if  of  a  certain  area  half  the  surface  is  deducted, 
and  so  on.  It  is  the  same  with  stone,  plaster,  paint,  and 
other  factors  entering  into  construction. 
DETAILS:— After  I  had  a  building  estimated  I  usually  had 
to  make  out  the  bills  of  all  material  for  the  complete  struc- 
ture. Before  getting  at  the  quantities  required  the  work  had 

485 


486  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  be  gone  over  again  to  take  out  the  double  corners,  all  or 
part  of  the  openings;  and  the  rest  of  the  trade  jumble  set 
to  rights.  Brick  and  mortar  are  not  necessary  at  the  open- 
ings, and  are  not  doubled  at  the  corners,  and  concrete  and 
plaster  are  required  for  only  the  actual  surface,  or  capacity. 
But  when  the  exact  surface  is  taken  at  first  all  brick, 
lath  or  mortar  can  be  at  once  detailed  out  without  another 
calculation.  Where  only  one  building  comes  up  in  a 
month,  or  only  a  few  contracts  are  secured  in  a  year,  the 
method  followed  does  not  matter  so  much,  but  when  sev- 
eral have  to  be  detailed  out  in  a  week  there  is  no  time 
for  useless  work. 

The  old  system  wastes  time,  and  is  not  so  good  as  the  new, 
and  is,  furthermore,  quite  frequently  a  source  of  quarreling 
and  dissatisfaction  between  the  owner  and  the  contractor.  I 
know  of  one  set  of  large  buildings  where  a  settlement  was 
held  up  for  a  long  time  owing  to  the  contractor's  desire  to 
double  all  corners  and  intersections  in  a  heavy  concrete 
foundation,  instead  of  taking  actual  quantities.  The  differ- 
ence between  the  systems  amounted  to  something  like  a 
couple  of  thousand  dollars. 

LOCAL  CUSTOM: — Another  trouble  comes  from  the  fact 
that  different  sections  of  the  country  have  customs  that 
vary;  and  some  states  have  had  building  measurements  en- 
acted into  laws  by  the  legislature.  The  courts  have  held 
that  local  custom  governs,  so  that  the  only  method  of  pro- 
venting  misunderstanding  is  to  have  a  clause  in  the  specifi- 
cation saying  that  only  actual  quantities  will  be  allowed. 
Law  suits  are  undesirable. 

In  the  case  of  railroads  running  into  various  states,  and 
into  different  sections  of  these  states,  with  local  measure- 
ments to  suit  the  varying  ideas,  the  danger  of  confusion  is 
too  great.  Consequently,  with  most,  if  not  all,  railroads 
square  and  cubic  feet  and  yards  are  used  on  actual  measure- 
ments, and  not  cords  and  perches  that  mean  16 1-2  cu  ft 
here,  and  24 1-2  there,  coupled  with  trade  rules  enough  to 
fill  a  pamphlet. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  487 

LARGE  OPENINGS:— Again,  with  such  shops  as  are  shown 
on  illustrations  7  and  8,  this  book,  the  openings  amount  to 
from  35  to  40  per  cent  of  the  walls,  and  the  only  proper  way 
to  make  an  estimate  is  to  deduct  them  entirely,  to  take  the 
actual  surface,  and  to  raise  the  unit  price  to  suit  the  work 
of  plumbing  the  corners.  Reinforced  concrete  buildings  often 
have  one-half  of  their  wall  area  in  openings,  and  some  have 
as  high  as  80  per  cent. 

EXTRAS: — There  is  no  gain  by  using  the  trade  rules  in 
competitive  bidding,  because  the  cost  of  the  work  can  be 
found  by  the  actual  method  as  well  as  by  the  trade  one.  The 
sole  chance  of  gain  lies  in  the  possibility  of  extras,  just  as 
with  the  concrete  foundation  already  alluded  to,  when  the 
measurement  is  raised  enough  to  create  ill  feeling  on  the 
part  of  the  owner  who  thinks  he  is  victimized. 
NET  FIGURES: — Many  of  the  largest  contractors  now  fol- 
low the  actual  measurement  system,  and  change  the  price 
unit  for  difficult  work.  One  of  the  leading  contracting  com- 
panies in  the  United  States  is  the  Aberthaw  Construction 
Co.  (see  pages  436,  440-450).  Commenting  upon  the  Rules 
of  the  Chicago  Associations  in  the  Building  Age  for  May, 
1911,  an  official  of  this  company  says  that  the  fundamental 
law  of  measurement  is  that  all  quantities  of  material  and 
labor  should  be  measured  net  as  finally  left  in  the  building 
or  structure,  and  that  all  extra  labor,  waste,  etc.,  should  be 
allowed  for  in  the  price  and  not  in  the  measurement.  That 
is  to  say,  the  extra  work  on  brick  pilasters,  cornices,  piers, 
and  corners  should  be  considered  when  estimating,  and  the 
price  for  the  work  per  thousand  raised  to  suit;  and  that  a 
carpenter  laying  a  floor  should  not  be  paid  for  the  waste  in 
the  boards,  which  often  require  one-fourth  more  material 
than  the  actual  area,  and  neither  for  the  ends  of  the  boards 
that  are  cut  off,  no  matter  if  he  is  flooring  an  angle,  circle, 
or  octagon,  but  only  for  the  actual  number  of  sq  ft  left  when 
the  work  is  finished. 

SCAFFOLDS: — Further  remarks  on  this  interesting  subject 
by  the  Aberthaw  official  are:  "All  work  of  temporary  char- 


488  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

acter  should  not  be  measured  unless  it  forms  a  distinct  labor 
item  which  can  be  taken  separately;  for  example,  staging 
for  brick  masons,  or  painters,  sheeting  for  trenches,  etc., 
should  not  be  measured  separately,  but  should  be  included 
in  the  unit  price  of  brickwork,  painting  or  excavation.  On 
the  other  hand,  forms  should  be  measured  separately,  be- 
cause they  are  a  separate  and  distinct  operation  of  labor 
necessary  to  the  construction  of  concrete  work,  and  simi- 
larly, painting  on  structural  steel  should  be  measured  sep- 
arately and  not  included  in  the  price  per  ton. 
CONCRETE: — "The  committee  has  disregarded  the  cost  of 
placing  concrete  in  thin  walls  and  floors,  and  has  also  en- 
deavored to  eliminate  all  measurement  of  forms  to  concrete 
work,  allowing  an  excess  measurement  of  concrete  to  pay 
for  both.  There  are  a  number  of  difficulties  in  the  way  of 
paying  for  forms  for  concrete  work  at  unit  prices,  among 
them  being  the  fact  that  they  will  not  be  seen  when  the 
building  is  finished,  and  furthermore,  that  there  is  no  estab- 
lished unit  of  measure  for  them.  For  example,  an  extrava 
gant  use  of  lumber  is  apt  to  result  if  board  feet  are  desig- 
nated as  the  unit  for  basing  prices.  The  most  logical  method 
seems  to  be  to  base  estimates  for  form  work  on  the  square 
foot  of  concrete  surface  in  contact  with  forms.  This  does 
give  a  definite  and  unchanging  unit,  as  there  will  always  be 
the  same  number  of  square  feet  to  center  in  the  under  side 
of  a  floor,  and  the  sides  of  a  beam,  although  the  lumber  used 
on  similar  work  by  different  contractors  may  vary.  Much 
here  depends  on  the  design  of  forms  used. 

"To  show  how  erratic  the  application  of  these  rules  (The 
Chicago  ones)  to  concrete  work  might  be,  let  us  take  an 
actual  instance  of  their  working.  Assume  two  walls,  one  6" 
and  one  12"  thick,  with  a  unit  price  of  30c  per  cu  ft.  The 
rules  would  allow  1 1-4  cu  ft  of  concrete  per  sq  ft  for  the  6" 
wall,  and  1 1-2  cu  ft  for  the  12".  Assuming  the  actual  cost 
of  concrete  without  forms  to  be  25c  per  cu  ft,  this  would  leave 
25c  in  the  first  case,  and  20c  in  the  second,  although  the 
work  is  the  same.  Again,  if  a  richer  mix  were  adopted  for 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  489 

another  6"  wall,  and  the  unit  price  raised  to  35c,  we  should 
have  28  3-4c  left  for  forms,  the  same  as  those  paid  for  at 
25c  and  20c  in  the  other  wall.  It  appears  that  the  funda- 
mental error  is  the  effort  to  adjust  quantities  rather  than 
prices. 

"On  municipal  work  especially,  adjusting  quantities  as  a 
basis  of  measurement  might  bring  the  contractor  or  others 
into  embarrassing  situations,  for  it  would  be  practically  im- 
possible to  make  an  untechnical  committee  see  the  justice  in, 
for  example,  charging  for  70  cu  ft  of  concrete  in  a  column 
containing  only  10." 

UNIFORMITY: — The  trouble  would  be  in  getting  an  ideal 
set  of  rules  adopted  over  the  entire  country,  even  of  the 
kind  the  trade  rule  men  would  approve.  The  state  legisla- 
tures, or  some  special  interest,  might  block  a  uniformity 
that  is  desirable  enough.  But  there  is  one  system  that  is 
already  known  and  understood  in  every  part  of  the  United 
States,  and  that  is  the  one  that  is  based  on  actual  measure- 
ments, with  price  as  the  unit  instead  of  quantity.  If  not 
customary  locally,  it  is  easy  enough  to  make  it  obligatory 
by  a  clause  in  all  specifications. 

DIFFICULTIES: — In  some  cases  it  is  hard  to  get  mathe- 
matical rules  to  suit  estimating.  Just  to  give  one  illustra- 
tion, the  best  way  of  getting  at  the  cost  of  forms  for  con- 
crete is  by  the  square  foot  in  contact  with  the  surface,  as  al- 
ready noted  in  the  Aberthaw  comments;  but  even  that  metn- 
od  is  not  perfect.  A  hint  is  given  of  another  way  on  pages 
45  and  46  merely  as  a  check. 

PIERS: — Take,  for  instance,  two  piers  with  many  angles: 
it  is  not  the  few  feet  of  plank  that  count,  but  the  labor  in 
making  the  forms.  Assuming  one  pier  with  8  angles  x  10  ft 
deep,  and  girt  of  16  ft,  and  another  with  the  same  angles 
and  depth,  but  measuring  24  ft  around.  There  is  a  differ- 
ence of  80  sq  ft,  or  say  220  ft  B.  M.  of  lumber,  allowing  for 
studs,  braces,  etc.  This  amounts  to  about  $6  extra  for 
lumber  and  nails.  There  is  not  much  difference  in  the  labor 


490  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

in  both  cases,  for  the  extra  comes  on  the  plain  plank,  and 
not  on  the  angles,  and  would  not  be  more  than  $2,  making 
a  total  of  $8.  Yet  setting  the  sq  ft  price  at  20c.  the  one 
would  take  $32  and  the  other  $48. 

ANGLES: — In  making  forms  for  isolated  piers,  especially 
battered  ones,  it  is  angles  that  count,  and  not  square  feet, 
and  even  when  a  high  unit  price  is  set  the  one  pier  might 
cost,  twice  as  much  as  the  other  owing  to  the  angles,  although 
all  through  a  foundation  the  average  has  to  be  struck.  For 
this  reason  machine  foundations  are  very  expensive.  The 
labor  on  the  forms  is  noted  on  page  45  as  5  times  as  much 
as  for  straight  work. 

QUANTITY: — On  page  46  it  is  stated  that  each  1,000  yds  of 
concrete  required  7,000  ft.  B.  M.  of  lumber.  On  the  con- 
crete foundations  of  the  Woolworth  building  24,000  yds  took 
75,000  ft  B.  M. 

A    SET    OF    TRADE    RULES 

As  many  contractors  like  the  old  system  the  following 
trade  rules  are  given.  The  first  set  relates  to  excavation 
and  concrete,  and  was  adopted  in  1911  by  the  Chicago  Con- 
tractors' and  Masons'  Association,  the  Chicago  Architects' 
Business  Association,  and  the  Western  Society  of  Engineers 
— and  thus  there  is  the  weight  of  good  authority  behind  what 
seems  to  be  a  bad  system: 

RULES  OF  MEASUREMENT   FOR   EXCAVATING  AND 
CONCRETE    WORK. 

EXCAVATION    OF    CELLARS    AND    BASEMENTS. 

1.  Excavation  to  be  measured  and  computed  by  the  actual 
amount  of  material  displaced.  If  unit  price  is  based  upon 
loose  measurement,  add  forty  (40#)  per  cent,  to  actual  bank 
measurement,  except  if  consisting  of  sand  and  gravel,  when 
only  twenty  (20£)  per  cent,  will  be  added.  If  rehandling  be- 
comes necessary,  same  to  be  done  at  a  special  price  agreed 
upon  in  addition  to  the  above. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  491 

EXCAVATION    OF    TRENCHES    AND    PITS. 

2.  Excavation  of  trenches,  pier  holes,  or  pits  when  more 
than  3  ft.  wide  to  be  computed  on  actual  contents  when  less 
than  5  ft.  deep. 

When  less  than  3  ft.  wide  excavation  of  trenches,  pier 
holes  or  pits  to  be  computed  on  actual  contents  if  less  than 
2  ft.  deep. 

If  more  than  2  ft.  deep,  compute  contents  of  trench  on 
base  of  3-ft.  width,  even  though  same  is  narrower. 

If  less  than  2  ft.  in  depth,  estimate  actual  width. 

For  pits  and  pier  holes  more  than  2  ft.  deep  and  less  than 
12  sq.  ft.  in  area  estimate  area  of  same  on  base  of  12  sq.  ft. 
multiplied  by  depth  of  same  down  to  5  ft.,  and  of  more  than 
5  ft.  deep,  estimate  on  same  basis  as  given  below  for  addi- 
tional depth  of  trenches,  with  the  same  percentages  of  in- 
creases added. 

Add  75  per  cent,  to  actual  contents  of  excavation  of 
trenches,  pier  holes  or  pits  for  depth  between  5  ft.  to  10  ft. 

Add  150  per  cent,  to  actual  contents  of  excavation  of 
trenches,  pier  holes  or  pits,  for  depth  between  10  ft.  and 
15  ft. 

Add  225  per  cent,  to  actual  contents  of  excavation  of 
trenches,  pier  holes  or  pits  for  depth  between  15  ft.  and  20  ft. 

Add  300  per  cent,  to  actual  contents  of  excavation  of 
trenches,  pier  holes  or  pits  for  depth  between  20  ft.  and  25  ft. 

Add  375  per  cent,  to  actual  contents  of  excavation  of 
trenches,  pier  holes  or  pits  between  25  and  30  ft.  in  depth. 

Add  450  per  cent,  to  actual  contents  of  excavation  of 
trenches,  pier  holes  or  pits  between  30  ft.  and  35  ft.  in  depth, 
and  so  on,  adding  75  per  cent,  accumulative  for  every  5  ft. 
additional  depth. 

BACK    FILLING  AND   GRADING. 

3.  Soil  required  for  back  filling  or  grading  to  be  meas- 
ured by  computing  from  cross-sectioning  cubic  contents  of 
area  to  be  filled  or  graded. 

4.  Sheet  piling  and  lagging  to  be  estimated  per  thousand 
feet  of  lumber  required.     Kind  of  lumber  to  be  specified. 


492  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

5.  Shoring  of  earth  banks  to  be  done  at  unit  price,  per 
square  foot  of  shored  surface  of  bank. 

6.  Pumping  or  bailing  when  required  to  be  done  at  special 
price,  in  addition  to  excavation  unit  price,  as  the  excavation 
rules  are  based  on  dry  work;  this,  however,  does  not  apply 
to  rain  or  storm  water. 

CONCRETE   FOUNDATIONS. 

7.  Foundations  for  walls  to  be  measured  actual  contents 
when  made  with  square  and  level  off-sets. 

Footings  with  sloping  or  beveled  off-sets  less  than  30  per 
cent,  from  the  horizontal  multiply  area  of  base  by  greatest 
height  of  footing.  This  applies  to  piers  also,  except  when 
courses  in  pier  foundations  are  less  than  12  ft.  in  area,  when 
1  cu.  ft.  will  be  added  for  each  corner  for  every  foot  in 
height  of  such  course. 

8.  Foundations    for    all    projections,    such    as    chimney 
breasts,  pilasters,  buttresses,  or  flues,  connected  with  walls 
to  be  measured  actual  contents  contained  therein,  and  1  cu. 
ft.  added  thereto  for  each  corner  for  every  foot  in  height. 

9.  Recesses  and  slots  in  foundations  to  be  measured  solid 
and  in  addition  thereto  allow  two   (2)   cubic  feet  for  every 
foot  in  height  or  length. 

10.  Arches  in  foundations.     Multiply  length  of  chord  at 
spring  arch  by  height  from  chord  to  extrados  by  thickness  of 
arch,  and  add  to  the  wall  measurement.     Height  of  arch  ring 
equal  to  thickness  of  wall. 

11.  Circular  or  polygon  foundations  to  be  figured  at  double 
actual  contents. 

12.  For  wall  14  ft.  or  less  in  height,    24  in.  or    more  in 
thickness,  use  the  actual  thickness  as  basis  in  computing  the 
volume.     For  walls  less  than  24  in.  in  thickness,  add  one-half 
the  difference  between  the  actual  thickness    and  24    in.  in 
computing   the   volume.     If  walls   are   more   than    14   ft.   in 
height  between  floors,  add  to  cubic  contents  fifteen  (15)  per 
cent,   for  every  additional  4  ft.   in  height,  on  accumulative 
scale,  as  given  for  trench  excavation. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  493 

13.  For  circular  walls  of  radius  sufficiently  large  to  obvi- 
ate the  necessity  of  using    specially    prepared    lumber  for 
forms,  add  one-fifth  of  length  to  girt  of  wall,  and  figure  cubic 
contents,  on  the  same  basis  as  prescribed  for  external  and 
division  walls,  paragraph  12. 

14.  For  battered  or  sloping  walls,  estimate  contents  on 
same  basis  as  for  external  and  division  walls,  and  add  one- 
half  of  contents  of  wedge,  or  batter  to  same  when  narrower 
on  top  than  24  in.     See  paragraphs   12  and   17. 

Intersection  and  division  walls,  24  in.  thick  or  less 
(bonded  together  in  any  manner  not  abutting),  to  be  meas- 
ured as  slot  or  recess.  When  thicker,  add  1  ft.  to  length  of 
wall  for  every  intersection  when  measuring. 

15.  In  retaining  walls,  reinforced  with  beams,  columns  or 
girders,  figure  concrete  casing  a  minimum  thickness  of  12  in. 
from  outside  edge  of  steel  on  side  next  to  earth  bank  and  6 
in.  from  outside  edge  of  steel  on  opposite  side — i.  e.,  compute 
wall  1  ft.  6  in.  thicker  than  width  of  steel. 

For  all  other  retaining  walls,  compute  on  same  basis  as 
for  external  walls,  paragraphs  12  and  17. 

No  deduction  in  cubic  contents  of  concrete  to  be  made  for 
metal  imbedded  in  same. 

16.  Hollow  walls  to  be  at  special  rates. 

17.  For  each  corner  of  wall  more  or  less  than  90  deg.,  add 
1  ft.  6  in.  to  girth  length  of  walls  in  measuring. 

The  term  corner  is  used  for  salient  angles  of  walls,  and 
angle  for  re-entering  angles. 

18.  All  plain  projections,  such  as  chimney  breasts,  piers 
connected  with  walls  and  pilasters,  to  be  measured  actual 
contents  contained  therein,  and  1  cu.  ft.  added  for  each  cor- 
ner for  every  foot  in  height. 

19.  Independent  plain  square    piers    to  be    measured  by 
same  rule,  i.  e.,  add  1  cu.  ft.  for  each  corner  for  every  foot 
in  height.    For  plain  polygon  or  round  piers,  add  4  cu.  ft.  for 
each  foot  in  height. 

20.  Recesses  and  slots  to  be  measured  solid.     In  addition 
thereto  allow  2  cu.  ft.  for  every  foot  in  height  or  length. 


494  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

21.  In  vaults,  multiply  length  of  chord  at  spring  of  arch 
by  height  from  chord  to  extrados  by  thickness  of  arch. 

In  walls,  find  contents  of  arch  by  same  rule  and  add  same 
to  wall  measurement,  as  called  for  in  paragraph  10. 

In  sewers  and  tunnel  arches,  multiply  length  of  extrados 
by  thickness  of  arch. 

OPENINGS    WITH    FRAMES    BUILT    IN. 

22.  Deduct  contents  of  windows,  doors  and  other  open- 
ings, measuring  from  jamb  to  jamb  and  from  top  of  sill  to 
spring  of  arch,  and  add  2  ft.  of  wall  for  each  jamb  for  every 
foot  in  height  of  opening  when  plank  frames  are  used;    if 
box  frames  are  used,  add  4  ft.    of  wall    for    each  jamb  for 
every  foot  in  height. 

OPENINGS  WITHOUT  FRAMES. 

23.  Deduct  contents   of   openings,    same   to   be   measured 
from  top  of  sill  to  spring  of  arch  and  shortest  distance  be- 
tween concrete  jamb  for  width,  and  add  for  each  jamb  2  it. 
of  wall  for  every  foot  in  height  of  opening. 

Circular,  oval  or  other  special  shaped  openings  to  be  fig- 
ured at  special  price. 

CHIMNEY  BREASTS,   FLUES  AND   PILASTERS. 

24.  All  flues  or  hollows  in  chimneys  or  walls  less  than  2 
ft.  in  area  figure  solid  and  add  2  cu.  ft.  for  every  foot  in 
height.     All  flues  and  hollows  in  chimneys  or  walls  from  2 
ft.  to  4  ft.  in  area  to  be  measured  solid.     When  larger,  de- 
duct one-half  of  contents  of  flue. 

Detached  portions  of  chimneys  in  buildings  and  plain 
chimney  tops  above  roof  to  be  measured  solid,  and  1  cu.  ft. 
to  be  added  for  each  corner  for  every  foot  in  height. 

25.  Detached  chimney    stacks    to  be    figured    at  special 
rates. 

26.  No  deductions  allowed  for  omissions  of  concrete  for 
cut  stone,  terra  cotta  or  other  trimmings,  bond  blocks,  tim- 
ber, joists  or  lintels. 

All  ornamental  or  moulded  work  in  cornices,  gutters,  belt 
or  sill  courses,  etc.,  to  be  figured  at  special  rates. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  495 

27.  Cutting  and  patching  of  joists,  girder,  or  other  holes, 
slots,  panels,  recesses,  etc.,  to  be  paid  for  on  basis  of  time 
and  material  required. 

28.  When  ordered  by  owner,  architect,  engineer,  or  the 
superintendent  in  charge  of  the  work,  to  rack  or  block  in 
consequence  of  delay  of  delivery  of  iron,  steel,  stone,  terra 
cotta,    or    other    material,    the    concrete    that    may    connect 
with  such  racking  or  blocking  shall  be  measured  as  extra 
work,  as  follows:   Increase  girt  length  of  such  line  by  one- 
half  and  multiply  by  thickness  of  wall. 

CONCRETE    FLOORS    ON    SOIL    AND    TILE    ARCHES. 

29.  Floors  to  be  measured  by  the  superficial  surface  be- 
.tween  outside  walls  of  building.     No  deductions  to  be  made 
for  floor  sleepers,  conduits,  pipes,  drains,  division  or  partition 
walls.     No  deduction  to  be    made  for    any    piers,    columns, 
chimney  breasts,  pilasters  or  other  projections  of  walls  of 
10  ft.  or  less  in  area. 

CAISSONS. 

30.  Owing  to  grillage  in  caissons  being  left  at  different 
heights  in  same  building,  unit  price  for  caissons  will  be  com- 
puted on  excavated  contents,  including  necessary  wood-lag- 
ging and  rings  for  same.     Cubic  contents  of  excavation  of 
caissons  to  be  computed  from  top  of  first  set  of  lagging  to 
bottom  of  caissons  and  from  outside  to  outside  of  lagging. 
If  steel  or  any  other  special  casing  is  required,  same  to  be 
paid  for  additional  at  special  unit  price  per  pound. 

31.  Area  of  bottom  of  bell  to  be  multiplied  by  height  of 
bell  to  neck  for  cubic  contents. 

32.  For  caissons  7  ft.  or  more  in  diameter,  estimate  actual 
contents  from  outside  to  outside  of  lagging. 

For  caissons  from  7  to  6  ft.  6  in.,  inclusive,  add  5  per  cent, 
to  actual  contents. 

For  caissons  under  6  ft.  6  in.  to  6  ft.,  inclusive,  add  15  per 
cent,  to  actual  contents. 

For  caissons  under  6  ft.  to  5  ft.  6  in.,  inclusive,  add  25  per 
cent,  to  actual  contents. 


496  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For  caissons  under  5  ft.  6  in.  to  5  ft.,  inclusive,  add  35  per 
cent,  to  actual  contents. 

For  caissons  under  5  ft,  add  50  per  cent,  to  actual  contents. 

33.  If  compressed  air  is  required,  same  to  be  paid  for  in 
addition  to  the  above. 

34.  If  rings  are  ordered  left  in  caissons,  same  to  be  paid 
for  additional  at  unit  prices  per  pound. 

35.  Pumping  and  bulkheading  to  be  paid  for  at  additional 
price. 

36.  No  deduction  to  be  made  for  cubic  contents  of  metal 
imbedded  in  concrete. 

Concrete  for  filling  of  caissons  to  be  computed  on  actual 
contents  per  cubic  foot  of  concrete,  but  no  deduction  to  be 
made  for  any  metal  imbedded  in  same. 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  WORK. 

37.  Reinforced  walls:  Compute  concrete  on  same  basis  as 
specified  in  sections  12  and  17  for  external  and  division  walls, 
and  add  to  same  cost  of  reinforcing  metal  put  in  place.     If 
through  changes  or  revisions  cutting  of  reinforcing  metal  de- 
livered  or   ordered   becomes    necessary,    estimate    the   full 
length  of  such  bars  or  metal  fabric,  and  add  to  same  cost  of 
cutting  and  fitting  required.     Reinforcing  metal  to  be  com- 
puted on  unit  price  per  pound  or  square  foot.    No  deductions 
to  be  made  in  estimating  cubic  contents  of  concrete  for  any 
metal   imbedded   in   same,   such   as   wire   netting,    expanded 
metal,   bars,   beams,   columns,   etc. 

COLUMNS. 

38.  Measuring  of  plain  uniform  size   column   to  be   cov- 
ered by  the  foregoing  paragraph  19  relating  to  piers. 

39.  Capitals,    cap,   brackets,   panels,    moulding    or   other 
ornamental  or  moulded  work  to  be  figured  special  rate. 

GIRDER,     FLOOR     BEAMS     OR     OTHER     DROP     PROJEC- 
TIONS  BELOW    FLOOR   SLAB. 

40.  For  projections  named  in  this  paragraph,  add  for  each 
corner  and  angle  to  cubic  contents  1  cu.  ft.  for  each  foot  in 
length.     For  each  chamfered  or  rounded  corner  or  angle  add 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  497 

y2  cu.  ft.  for  each  foot  in  length  in  addition  to  the  above. 

41.  Floor  and  roof  slabs  to  be  estimated  on  same  basis 
as  called  for  in  paragraph  29  for  floors  on  soil,  and  at  a  mini- 
mum thickness  of  6  in.     Less  than  6  in.   in  thickness  will 
be  computed  as  6  in. 

42.  No  deductions  to  be  made  in  floor  area  for  opening  of 
less  than  20  sq.  ft.     For  larger  openings,  after  deducting  full 
area  of  opening,  add  one  superficial  foot  to  floor  area  for 
each  foot  in  length  of  girt  of  opening,  and  1  cu.  ft.  extra  for 
each  corner  or  angle. 

43.  For  pits,  baskets,  or  other  depressions  in  floor,  add 
one  superficial  foot  to  the  area  of  walls  and  floor  of  same 
for  each  foot  in  length  of  each  corner  and  angle. 

44.  Setting  of  facias,  frames,  pipes,   sleeves,  bolts,  rods, 
clamps,  etc.,  imbedded  in  concrete  to  be  paid  for  additional 
at  special  price. 

FLOOR   BASE   AND   COVES. 

45.  Floor  base  and  coves  to  be  estimated  at  special  price 
per  lineal  foot,  with  1  ft.  added  to  length  of  same  for  each 
corner  and  angle.     For  base  or  cove  around  round  columns, 
estimate  three  times  girt  of  column,  and  for  square  or  poly- 
gon columns,  add  1  ft.  for  each  corner  to  girt  of  same. 

46.  Concrete  stairs  to  be  estimated  square  foot  area  of 
face  of  treads  and  risers.     Stair  landings  and  platforms  be- 
tween floors  to  be  same  unit  price  per  foot  as  stairs. 

47.  Curbs  and  roofs  of  skylights  to  be  estimated  on  same 
basis  as  called  for  in  sections  40  and  41,  except  that  quanti- 
ties for  same  shall  be  doubled. 

48.  Sidewalks  laid  on  soil  or  tile  brick  arches  to-be  esti- 
mated same  as  floor  slab,  section  29,  with  special  unit  price. 

MISSOURI     MEASUREMENT    LAW 

The  following  law  was  passed  by  the  Thirty-eighth  General 
Assembly  (To  apply  when  special  agreements  are  not  made.) 

Section  1.  EARTH  WORK:— Earth  excavation  shall  be 
measured  by  the  cubic  yard.  For  all  trenches  and  pier  holes 
double  measurement  shall  be  allowed.  When  the  earth  is 


498  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

left  in  a  cellar  to  protect  the  adjoining  banks  or  walls  the 
same  may  be  charged  double  the  amount  when  required  to 
be  removed. 

Section  2.  STONEMASONRY  WORK:— Rubble  masonry 
shall  be  measured  by  taking  the  length  on  the  outside  of  the 
wall,  including  the  corners,  multiplied  by  the  width  or 
thickness  of  the  wall,  and  this  product  multiplied  by  the 
height  will  give  the  amount  of  cubic  feet  contained  in  the 
wall;  this  divided  by  22  will  be  the  amount  in  perches. 

PROJECTIONS  from  the  face  of  the  wall,  including  chimney 
breasts,  flues,  pilasters,  and  the  like,  12  inches  and  under, 
shall  be  measured  by  taking  the  face  and  adding  the  two 
returns  to  the  same;  this  multiplied  by  the " thickness  and 
height  will  give  the  contents.  For  projections  exceeding  12 
inches,  measure  the  length  and  add  one  return  to  it,  and 
then  proceed  as  last  above  provided. 

PILASTERS  or  buttresses,  beveling  from  top  to  bottom, 
shall  be  calculated  the  same  as  projections,  except  that  the 
measurement  shall  be  taken  at  the  bottom. 

FOR  ISOLATED  WALLS  measure  length  and  add  two  jambs 
(thickness),  multiply  by  width  (thickness)  and  height.  All 
walls  under  18  inches  thick  shall  be  measured  as  18. 
FOR  ARCHES  in  walls,  the  superficial  face  of  the  arch  mul- 
tiplied by  the  thickness  shall  be  added  to  the  full  measure- 
ment. Separate  arches  shall  be  calculated  at  double  meas- 
urement. 

ALL  CUT  STONE  WORK  backed  with  rubble  masonry  shall 
be  measured  as  rubble  masonry  in  full.  No  deductions  shall 
be  made  for  openings,  but  if  the  same  exceed  6  feet  in 
length  they  shall  be  deducted,  less  the  amount  of  jambs  on 
both  sides  of  the  opening. 

AREA  WALLS  shall  be  measured  by  taking  the  outside  mul- 
tiplied by  the  height,  and  with  the  latter  calculated  at  not 
less  than  18  inches.  Slides  and  rises  under  steps  shall  be 
measured  by  taking  the  length  multiplied  by  the  width  and 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  499 

thickness  of  same,  the  latter  at  never  less  than  18  inches. 
CHIMNEY  TOPS  shall  be  ^measured  by  taking  the  full  face 
and  adding  two  return  (widths),  and  multiplying  this  amount 
by  the  width  and  height. 

FOR  CIRCULAR  WORK  double  measurement  shall  be  al- 
lowed. For  all  corners  more  or  less  than  a  right  angle,  and 
carried  up  plumb,  add  for  each  18  inches  additional  measure- 
ment. 

FOR  SQUARE,  ISOLATED  PIERS  3'  6"  square  and  under 
double  measurement  shall  be  allowed;  from  3'  6"  up  to  5' 
square,  l1/^  measurement;  from  5'  up  to  7',  Ij^;  over  T  sin- 
gle, or  actual  contents.  For  all  battering  piers  take  the 
average  width  and  allow  double  measurement. 
RANGE  WORK  shall  be  measured  by  the  superficial  foot, 
and  all  openings  shall  be  deducted,  less  the  returning  jambs. 
Steps,  sills,  caps,  and  coping  shall  be  measured  by  the  lineal 
foot.  Arches  over  openings  are  taken  in  addition  to  wall 
measurement.  Should  there  be  a  different  price  stipulated 
for  pier  work,  it  shall  be  measured  only  for  actual  contents. 
Section  3.  BRICKWORK: — To  ascertain  the  amount  of 
brickwork  done  in  a  building,  it  shall  be  an  established  rule 
that  a  wall  being  4  inches,  or  one-half  a  brick  wide,  or  thick, 
shall  be  calculated  at  7  bricks  to  the  superficial  foot;  a 
9-ineh,  or  one  brick  wide  wall,  at  14  bricks  to  the  superficial 
foot;  a  13-inch,  or  iy2  bricks,  at  21;  an  18-inch,  or  2  bricks, 
at  28,  and  raising  7  bricks  for  every  additional  brick  in 
width. 

METHOD: — To  find  the  amount  of  brickwork  done,  measure 
the  length  of  the  wall  by  the  height  of  the  same,  which  will 
give  the  superficial  area  in  feet,  then  multiply  this  amount 
by  either  7,  14,  or  any  other  number  of  bricks  respectively, 
as  the  thickness  of  the  wall  is  one-half,  one  and  one-half  or 
other  number  of  bricks  wide,  and  the  result  will  give  the 
exact  amount  of  brickwork  done,  including  the  mortar. 
EXAMPLE:— Thus,  for  an  illustration  of  the  rule,  and  an 
example:  A  wall  measuring  30  feet  in  length,  21  in  height, 


500  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

and  one  brick  wide  has  how  much  brickwork?  30x21x14= 
8820. 

EXTRA  MEASUREMENTS: — Measure  outside  from  corner 
to  corner,  thus  allowing  double  measurement  for  each  corner 
in  the  building.  For  gable  and  other  triangular  shaped  walls, 
measure  the  length,  multiply  by  one-half  of  the  height,  and 
by  the  respective  number  of  bricks  for  the  thickness.  Pro- 
jections on  walls,  chimney  breasts,  flues,  pilasters,  etc.,  are 
measured  by  adding  one  return  to  the  length,  multiplied  by 
the  height  and  respective  thickness;  no  deduction  shall  be 
made  for  the  inside  vacancy. 

CHIMNEY  TOPS  shall  be  measured  by  taking  the  face  and 
one  return  for  the  length,  multiplied  by  the  height  above  wall, 
and  by  the  number  of  bricks.  Example:  A  chimney  top's 
face  measure  is  4'xl8"x6'  high:  how  many  bricks?  Answer: 
4+11 6"=5'  6"x6'x28=924.  No  deduction  shall  be  made  for 
inside  flues. 

ALL  CHIMNEY  STACKS,  whether  square,  circular,  or  octa- 
gon shafts  are  measured  solid  cubic  contents,  and  allowed 
at  21  bricks  to  the  cubic  foot. 

ALL  OPENINGS  in  walls  shall  be  deducted,  less  the  reveals 
or  jambs  outside  of  frames.  When  openings  have  arches, 
deduct  for  height  of  openings  the  distance  from  the  sill  to 
the  spring  of  the  arch.  Openings  built  without  frames  shall 
have  the  jambs  on  each  side  deducted  from  the  width.  For 
example:  If  an  opening  in  a  13-inch  wall  measures  4'  in 
width,  the  deduction  will  be  only  1'  10"  multiplied  by  the 
height  and  respective  thickness;  or,  in  this  case,  by  21 
bricks. 

NO  DEDUCTIONS  are  to  be  made  for  plates,  bond  timbers, 
joists,  sills,  caps,  lintels,  etc.,  but  2"  in  height  is  to  be  al- 
lowed for  bedding  plates  where  no  brickwork  is  over  them. 
TO  MEASURE  CORNICES  take  the  length  and  height  by  the 
greatest  projection,  which  in  no  case  shall  be  less  than  4" 
wide,  all  fractions  to  be  put  in  the  next  higher  class;  caps 
are  to  be  measured  the  same  as  cornices. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  501 

FOR  MEASURING  PARTITIONS  take  the  dimensions  clear 
of  the  front  and  rear  walls.  For  fire  walls  and  gables  add  2 
courses  of  bricks,  or  5",  for  cutting  the  brick  and  waste 
thereon.  /  \$ 

PILASTERS  are  measured  over  face  and  one  side  for  length, 
multiplied  by  height  and  thickness. 

ARCHES,  ETC.: — No  deductions  are  to  be  made  for  circular 
or  semi-circular  openings  for  arches,  vaults,  sewers,  etc.; 
take  outside  circumference  by  the  length  and  thickness.  For 
arches  in  solid  walls  add  to  the  measurement  the  super- 
ficial area,  multiplied  by  the  thickness  of  the  wall.  Project- 
ing arches  are  to  be  measured  by  the  length  and  height  from 
.the  spring  to  top  of  center  of  the  arch  by  the  thickness  of 
the  projection,  which  in  no  case  shall  be  less  than  4",  or 
one-half  brick  wide.  Vault  arches  are  to  be  measured  one 
and  a  half  times  the  outside  girth.  Ovens,  coppers,  boilers, 
etc.,  are  to  be  measured  as  solid  work,  deducting  only  the 
ash  holes,  but  the  fire  bricks,  tiles,  etc.,  are  not  deducted. 
PIERS  AND  WALLS: — In  measuring  isolated  piers  take  the 
face  and  one  return  for  the  width,  and  multiply  by  the  height 
and  thickness.  Isolated  walls  are  to  be  measured  by  adding 
to  the  face  two  returns,  or  thickness  of  wall,  for  the  length, 
multiplied  by  the  height  and  thickness;  on  corners  more  or 
less  than  a  right  angle,  allow  additional  the  thickness  of 
the  wall  for  each  corner  in  the  length. 

FACE  BRICK: — In  measuring  stock  pressed  brick  fronts 
take  the  area  and  returns  at  each  corner  and  deduct  open- 
ings; all  openings  where  frames  occur  to  be  deducted,  less 
the  reveals.  When  the  openings  are  without  frames  and 
have  the  jambs  faced  through  the  full  thickness  of  the  wall, 
both  jambs  to  be  measured,  and  4"  on  the  inside  to  be  al- 
owed.  A  superficial  foot  of  facing  to  front  will  take  7 
bricks.  Pointing  fronts  is  to  be  measured  by  the  superficial 
foot. 

BRICK  PAVING  is  to  be  measured  by  the  superficial  yard, 
and  40  bricks  to  the  yard  allowed  when  laid  flat.  In  brick 


502  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

paving,  paving  on  edge  or  border,  allow  double  the  afore- 
said measurement,  and  in  brick  on  end  allow  four  times 
the  aforesaid  measurement. 

Section  4.  STONECUTTING  WORK:— For  plain  rubbed 
face  to  ashlar,  platform,  posts,  water-tables,  cornices,  take 
the  superficial  measurements  upon  all  parts  of  the  work 
where  exposed.  For  moulded  work  to  cornices,  architraves, 
imposts,  etc.,  girth  the  whole  face  of  the  mouldings,  begin- 
ning with  the  tape  at  the  extreme  edge,  and  emerging  it 
into  the  hollows  and  quirks  across  the  whole  face.  The 
dimensions  multiplied  by  the  length  will  give  the  superfi- 
cial feet. 

CIRCULAR  AND  PANEL  WORK:— Take  all  flat  circular 
work  at  one  and  a  half  times  the  straight,  add  when  of  a 
quick  sweep  15"  radius  or  under,  twice  the  straight.  Panel 
work  measures  double. 

LABOR  PER  LINEAL  FOOT:— Measure  the  different  kinds 
of  work  for  labor  as  follows,  only  by  the  lineal  foot:  Rough 
bush-hammered  work,  1'  and  under;  checks  under  10"  and 
over  2",  measure  double.  Rebates,  steps,  and  moulded  nos- 
ings, window  sills  with  nosings,  window  caps,  moulded  string 
course,  pier  caps,  plain  pilaster  caps,  moulded  cornice, 
moulded  fence  coping.  Returns  for  the  whole  of  the  above 
to  be  measured  double.  If  over  1'  high,  measure  superficial; 
ditto,  tooled. 

LABOR  PER  SUPERFICIAL  FOOT:—  The  following  kinds 
of  W7ork  for  labor  only  shall  be  measured  by  the  superficial 
foot:  Bush-hammered  door  sills,  bush-hammered  piers  of  2,  3 
or  4  sides,  lintels,  pier  blocks,  base  blocks,  plinths,  measur- 
ing 4'  and  less,  measured  double  beveled  ashlar.  All  returns 
for  above,  measured  one  and  one-half  times.  Ring  stones, 
saddle  back  coping,  fence  posts  of  various  kinds,  coarse  fire 
wall  coping,  chimney  tops,  double  measurement.  Platforms 
measured  same  as  steps,  1'  from  front,  the  balance  per 
superficial  foot.  If  the  bottom  bed  is  worked  to  be  charged 
the  same  as  ashlar.  Bed  over  12"  wide  to  be  paid  for  as 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  503 

rough  bush-hammered  work,  with  the  exception  of  plinth 
blocks.  Rusticated  quoins  under  12"  in  bed,  superficial 
measurement;  over  12"  thick,  cubic  measurement.  Rusti- 
cated ashlar,  superficial  measurement. 

Section  5.  PLASTERING  WORK:—  Plain  plastering  is 
to  be  measured  by  the  superficial  yard.  In  measuring  take 
the  girth  of  the  walls  in  a  room  for  the  length  and  multiply 
by  the  height  from  floor  to  ceiling.  From  this  product  deduct 
one-half  of  the  amount  of  the  openings,  such  as  doors,  win- 
dows, etc. 

ALL  CORNICES  and  mouldings,  and  all  work  where  run- 
ning mould  is  used,  are  to  be  measured  from  the  nose  of 
the  moulding  to  the  wall,  and  a  moulding  is  designated  as 
being  so  many  inches  according  to  the  girth;  the  length 
is  taken  on  the  wall  line,  and  1'  lineal  is  allowed  to  each 
miter.  Measure  all  plain  or  moulded  cornices  under  12" 
girth  by  the  running  foot  at  their  separate  values.  The  plain 
parts  of  ornamental  cornices  shall  be  first  taken  as  plain, 
and  the  several  enrichments  therein  taken  per  running  foot 
at  their  separate  values,  which  added  to  the  price  of  the 
plain  moulding  will  give  the  correct  value  per  foot  run  of 
the  whole  cornice.  Complete  mouldings  encircling  centers 
to  be  measured  as  mouldings. 

SPECIAL  WORK: — All  circular  work  double  measurement. 
All  inclined  or  raking  ceilings  under  an  angle  of  22  degrees 
wit'i  the  horizon  to  be  measured  as  level;  over  22  degrees, 
one  and  a  half  measurement.  Twenty-two  degrees  is  equal  to 
one-fifth  of  the  span.  Closets  and  presses  under  4x8  ft  double 
measurement.  Privies  shall  be  measured  double;  all  ex- 
ternal angle  beads  and  quirks  per  running  foot;  furring, 
regulating  or  stripping  on  all  lath,  per  square. 

Niches  and  centers  are  valued  at  so  much  each.  Cast  and 
enriched  centers  to  ceilings,  fixed  and  put  on  complete,  so 
much  each  according  to  diameter.  All  circular  enrichments 
to  be  twice  the  price  of  straights  of  the  same  description. 
When  the  enrichments  are  moulded  from  original  designs, 


504  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

the  expense  of  moulding  to  be  paid  for  extra.  All  work  done 
on  stone  walls  with  cement  or  mastic,  measured  same  as 
plastering,  but  no  openings  deducted. 

WHITENING  AND  COLORING  to  be  measured  in  the  same 
manner  as  plastering. 

Section  6.  ROOFING  WORK: — Slaters'  work  is  to  be 
measured  by  the  square  of  100  superficial  feet  of  covering; 
to  this  add  6"  run  for  the  trouble  of  cutting  the  slates  on  each 
side  of  the  hips,  eaves,  valleys,  or  wherever  cut  to  irregular 
lines.  No  deductions  are  made  for  dormer  windows,  sky- 
lights, chimneys,  etc.,  unless  they  are  over  50  superficial  feet 
contents,  then  one-half  is  deducted. 

COMPOSITION  AND  TIN  ROOFING  is  measured  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  slate  roofs,  with  the  exception  that 
nothing  is  added  for  hips,  eaves,  valleys,  etc. 
(NOTE:  SUB-HEADINGS  have  been  inserted,  and  para- 
graphs and  some  slight  verbal  changes  made  in  the  forego- 
ing legal  code.) 

ROOF  MEASUREMENT:— The  standard  rule  for  slate  roofs 
runs  as  follows:  For  plain  roofs  measure  the  length  and 
multiply  by  the  length  of  the  rafter.  For  roofs  with  hips, 
valleys,  gables,  etc.,  measure  each  section  through  the  center 
and  multiply  by  the  length  of  the  rafter.  In  addition  to 
the  actual  surface  of  such  roofs  multiply  the  length  of  all 
hips  and  valleys  by  one  foot  wide;  also  what  the  first,  or 
eave  course,  shows  to  the  weather  by  the  length  of  the  eave. 
No  deduction  is  made  for  dormer  windows,  skylights, 
chimneys,  etc.,  unless  they  measure  more  than  4'  square, 
when  one-half  is  deducted;  if  more  than  8'  square  the  whole 
is  taken  out. 

OMAHA    SYSTEM 

One  of  the  best  set  of  rules  of  measurement  under  the  old 
system  is 

THE    OMAHA    MASONS'    MEASUREMENT 
NUMBER  OF  BRICKS   (See  page  75). 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK 


505 


HOLLOW  WALLS: — All  hollow  walls  to  measure  as  solid 
wall  in  same  ratal  as  above  up  to  4"  hollow  space,  and  all 
above  that  measure  to  deduct  one-half  up  to  8",  and  deduct 
all  above  8"  inches,  and  measure  both  sides  only  as  wall. 

HEIGHTS: — The  heights  of  all  walls,  piers,  chimneys, 
breasts,  etc.,  to  be  their  net  measurements. 

The  lineal  measurements  of  all  walls  to  be  taken  over  their 
longest  points,  as  shown  by  the  following  diagram,  with 
dotted  lines,  witness  marks,  etc.: 


CROSS  WALLS: — All  cross  or  partition  walls  to  measure 
one-half  way  through  the  wall  against  which  they  come  in 
contact. 

PIERS: — All  iy2  brick  piers  and  under  to  measure 
two  ends  and  one  side  for  lineal  measure,  thus 
and  all  piers  over  iy2  bricks  The  thickness  of 


thick   to  measure    one  end  and 
one  side  for  lineal  measure,thus : 


a  pier  to  be  gov- 
erned by  the  wall 


joining  or  above  it,  but  where  they  are  beneath  columns  and 
not  in  conjunction  with  any  walls,  their  thickness  is  to  be 
considered  the  narrowest  way. 

PILASTERS,  CHIMNEY  BREASTS,  FIRE  PLACES,  ETC.: 
of  one  brick  projection  from  walls,  or  less,  to  measure  both 
ends  and  their  face  for  lineal  measure;  and  more  than  one 
brick  projection  to  measure  one  end  and  their  face,  and  to  be 
counted  as  wall  their  projection  from  the  wall,  but  in  no 
case  to  count  less  than  one-half  brick  wall. 


506  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LEDGINGS: — Ledgings  for  joists,  etc.,  to  be  measured 
square,  their  height  and  projection  from  wall  to  be  counted 
as  wall  the  amount  of  their  projection,  but  in  no  case  to 
count  less  than  one-half  brick. 

COPINGS: — Coping  course  projections  of  one  or  more 
courses  each  side  of  wall  to  be  allowed,  same  as  ledgings. 
CHIMNEYS  above  walls  to  be  measured  same  as  piers,  and 
as  solid  work.  The  projection  of  caps  of  chimneys  to  be 
pleasured  same  as  ledgings  and  coping  courses,  according 
to  their  styles.  The  measurements  for  lengths  of  chimney 
caps  girth  the  chimney  on  the  projection  of  the  cap,  and  the 
bases  and  chimneys  to  be  governed  by  the  same  rules  that 
govern  the  caps. 

Angle  chimneys  to  measure  across  their  _<  o  > 

longest  sides  for  lineal  measure,  and  from 
a  to  ft  for  thickness  of  wall,  thus: 

FOUNDATIONS,  FOOTINGS,  ETC.:— Foundation  walls, 
footings,  etc.,  to  be  measured  from  out  to  out,  same  as  walls 
of  superstructures,  and  of  their  average  thickness. 

Foundations  of  footings  of  partition  walls  to  measure  one- 
half  way  through  their  cross  walls,  same  as  partitions. 

Every  two  courses  in  height  of  footings  to  measure  6"  in 
height. 

Foundations  of  piers,  pilasters,  etc.,  to  be  governed  by  the 
same  general  rules  of  measurement  that  govern  their  super- 
structures. 

CORNICES: — Brick  cornices  to  be  measured  their  height 
and  projection  as  solid  wall,  and  in  no  case  to  be  less  than 
one-half  brick  wall,  and  all  over  one  brick  to  count  as  one 
and  one-half,  and  so  on. 

Circular  and  octagonal  smoke  stacks,  chimneys,  etc.,  to  be 
counted  square  at  their  mean  diameter,  and  counted  as  solid 
wall. 

CISTERNS,  ETC.: — Cisterns,  catch-basins,  wells  and  circular 
privy  vaults,  etc.,  to  be  measured  on  outside  girth  and  of 
their  mean  heights. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  507 

CORBELINGS: — In  places  where  corbelings  occur,  the  ad- 
ditional thickness  o  fwalls  to  measure  from  the  bottom  of 
corbels. 

OPENINGS: — No  deductions  to  be  made  for  any  openings 
measuring  less  than  100  square  feet;  and  for  all  openings  of 
more  than  100  square  feet  and  less  than  150  square  feet,  one- 
half  of  all  over  100  square  feet  will  be  deducted;  and  for  all 
openings  of  more  than  150  square  feet  and  less  than  200 
square  feet,  two-thirds  of  all  over  100  square  feet  will  be 
deducted;  and  for  all  over  250  square  feet  the  entire  opening 
will  be  deducted;  but  the  return  of  the  jambs  will  be  allowed 
as  lineal  measure  to  the  wall.  In  openings  where  deductions 
are  made,  the  measurements  will  be  taken  from  jamb  to 
jamb  and  from  sill  or  bottom  of  opening  to  the  springing  of 
the  arch. 

STORE  FRONTS: — Nothing  will  be  allowed  to  measurement 
for  store  fronts,  and  all  measurements  of  brick  work  above 
store  fronts  to  be  taken  from  the  bottom  of  the  lintels. 

In  store  fronts  where  isolated  brick  piers  occur,  they  will 
be  measured  under  the  head  of  piers.  But  when  a  pier  occurs 
in  a  store  front  on  the  end  of  a  longitudinal  wall,  the  face 
of  the  pier  will  be  allowed  to  the  lineal  measure  of  the  wall; 
if  the  pier  breaks  out  on  the  side  of  the  wall  it  will  be  meas- 
ured as  under  the  head  of  piers,  and  the  lineal  measure  of 
the  wall  will  cease  at  the  back  of  pier. 

When  return  store  front  windows  occur,  with  iron  columns 
on  the  corner,  the  lineal  measure  of  the  side  wall  will  stop 
off  at  the  window,  but  the  return  jamb  will  be  allowed  to  the 
lineal  measure  of  wall,  and  when  there  is  a  brick  pier  on 
the  corner,  the  wall  and  the  face  of  the  pier  will  be  allowed 
to  the  lineal  measure  of  the  wall,  and  the  opening  will  be 
governed  as  under  the  head  of  openings. 

Where  the  ends  of  walls  are  faced  with  iron  pilasters  the 
lineal  measure  will  be  the  net  length  of  the  wall. 

VAULTS: — the  walls  of  vaults  to  be  governed  by  the  same 
general  rules  above  specified,  except  the  arches,  which  will 


508  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

be  measured  solid  from  the  springing  to  their  crowns,  and 
from  the  inside  of  the  walls,  and  all  grating,  concreting,  etc., 
to  be  measured  as  solid  brick  work. 

No  deductions  to  be  made  for  any  lintels,  ends  of  timbers 
or  joists,  bond-timbers,  cut-stone,  boxing  for  window  or  door 
frame,  etc. 

CHURCH  BUTTRESS:— Buttresses  in  church  work,  etc.,  to 
be  measured  as  under  the  head  of  piers,  the  height  of  the 
buttresses  to  be  measured  net  from  bottom  of  piers  to  top 
of  each  coping. 

PLASTERING  to  be  measured  by  the  square  yard,  and  no  de- 
ductions to  be  made  for  any  opening  of  less  than  150  square 
feet. 

All  walls  to  measure  from  floor  to  ceiling,  and  no  deduc- 
tions to  be  made  for  any  base  casings,  except  wainscoting 
not  plastered  behind,  and  all  ceilings  to  be  measured  from 
wall  to  wall.  Attic  rooms  to  be  measured  square. 

When  quarter  circles,  cornices,  etc.,  occur,  the  plain  plas- 
tering to  measure  same  as  square  angles,  and  where  there 
is  an  off-set  below  or  above  the  quarter  circle,  the  amount  of 
the  off-set  to  be  added  to  the  wall  or  ceiling,  as  the  case  may 
be. 

Cornices  to  be  measured  by  the  running  foot,  the  measure 
to  be  taken  on  the  wall,  and  to  girth  all  chimney  breasts,  etc., 
that  the  cornice  breaks  around,  and  one  foot  of  measurement 
to  be  added  for  each  and  every  angle  and  circle  made  by  the 
cornice. 

PAINTERS'   WORK 

The  following  set  of  trade  rules  from  the  BUILDER  AND 
CONTRACTOR  gives  a  fair  idea  of  the  old-style  way  of 
measuring  paint  work. 

ALL  SURFACES  where  the  brush  touches  must  be  meas- 
ured. 

OUTSIDE  WORK: — Measure  solid.  No  opening  under  100 
sq  ft  to  be  deducted.  Count  windows  and  doors  separately, 
and  charge  so  much  each. 


MEASUREMENT     OF     BUILDING     WORK  509 

LATTICE  WORK: — Double  measurement  on  each  side. 

HANDRAILS  AND  BALUSTRADES:— Double  the  measure- 
ment on  each  side. 

PLAIN  CORNICES: — Where  ladders  and  scaffolding  are  used 
measure  one  running  foot  as  one  sq  yd. 

ORNAMENTAL  CORNICES:— Multiply  the  length  by  three 
or  four  times  the  girth. 

DIPPING  SHINGLES:— Multiply  each  square  by  four. 

STAINING  SHINGLES:— Measure  solid.  Allow  additional 
price  if  work  is  difficult  to  get  at.  Allow  scaffold  extra  if 
required. 

INSIDE  WORK: — Count  all  doors  and  windows  and  charge 
BO  much  each. 

BASE  BOARDS,  PICTURE  MOLDINGS,  PLATE  AND 
CHAIR  RAILS: — Measure  in  running  feet,  and  allow  so  much, 
per  ft. 

DADOES  AND  FRIEZES: — If  plain  measure  solid,  and  if 
paneled  allow  two  or  three  times  the  width  according  to  the 
number  of  panels. 

WALLS  AND  CEILINGS:— Measure  solid,  including  open- 
ings under  100  sq  ft. 

"ADD  33  1-3  per  cent  to  net  cost  for  profit,  rent,  taxes,  in- 
surance, tools,  and  fixed  charges." 


CHAPTER    XXXII. 

COMPARATIVE    COSTS 

In  a  discussion  of  the  use  of  reinforced  concrete  buildings 
for  textile  mills  before  the  Cotton  Manufacturers,  and  also 
before  the  Machine  Tool  Makers,  Mr.  J.  P.  H.  Perry  of  the 
Turner  Construction  Company  gave  the  following  figures  as 
to  time  of  construction  and  cost: 

TIME: — One  building  60x70xlO-story  took  just  47  working 
days  after  the  foundation  was  put  in  for  erection.  In  all, 
the  time  of  erection  was  three  and  a  half  months,  before  turn- 
ing over  to  the  owners. 

Another  40x80x7-story  and  basement  took  only  48  working 
days  to  put  on  the  roof  after  the  excavation  was  finished, 
and  three  months  in  all  before  the  owner  moved  in. 

Still  another  75x600x6-story  and  basement  had  the  roof  on 
in  63  working  days  after  the  piles  were  driven. 

These   are   fast   records — but   builders   have   noticed    that 
many  reinforced   structures  have  fallen  on  account  of  hav- 
ing the  forms  removed  too  soon. 
THE  COST  FIGURES  are  as  follows: 

"REINFORCED  CONCRETE  will  generally  run  from  5  to  15 
per  cent  higher  in  first  cost  than  first-class  'mill  construc- 
tion,' and  will  be  from  10  to  20  per  cent  lower  than  steel 
construction  fireproofed.  A  large  warehouse  in  Brooklyn 
was  begun  in  May,  1908.  At  that  time  new  construction 
work  was  scarce  and  all  contractors  figured  very  closely. 
The  successful  reinforced  concrete  figure  was  $30,000  lower 
than  the  best  bid  on  the  same  plans  in  fireproofed  structural 
steel.  A  large  factory  in  Philadelphia  was  designed  in  steel. 
The  architects  considered  an  alternative  in  reinforced  con- 
crete and  saved  $60,000.  A  large  publishing  house  and  loft 
building  was  recently  completed  in  Springfield,  Mass.,  of  re- 
inforced concrete  throughout,  thereby  saving  $40,000  over 

510 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS  511 

the  probable  cost  in  steel.  These  three  instances  represent 
respectively  savings  of  12,  25  and  10  per  cent.  In  competi- 
tion with  mill  construction  the  percentage  depends  almost 
entirely  on  the  size  of  the  building. 

For  structures  costing  $40,000  and  less,  and  of  a  height  of 
four  stories  or  less,  the  brick  and  wood  construction  will  run 
about  15  per  cent  less  than  concrete.  On  larger  buildings, 
however,  concrete  gets  closer  to  the  cost  of  the  mill  con- 
struction. The  designers  of  a  very  large  hardware  building 
in  Minneapolis  were  surprised  to  find  concrete  figures 
slightly  under  those  of  mill  construction.  A  similar  case  oc- 
curred in  Toledo,  Ohio.  Both  of  these  propositions  exceeded 
$150,000  in  value. 

In  considering  the  costs  of  different  types  of  construction 
the  initial  cost  should  not  be  the  only  criterion.  There  are 
certain  fixed  charges  which  enter  into  the  relative  values  of 
buildings.  These  may  be  briefly  summarized  as  follows:  In- 
surance, maintenance,  depreciation,  amount  of  light  available, 
freedom  from  vibration,  elimination  of  vermin  and  the  as- 
surance that  a  fire  cannot  destroy  the  building.  It  is  difficult 
to  put  an  exact  monetary  value  on  these  different  items. 
Each  plant  manager  would  have  his  own  views  and  local 
conditions  would  alter  materially  any  assumptions.  If,  how- 
ever, due  consideration  be  given  to  the  saving  which  can  be 
obtained  on  each  of  these  items  by  the  use  of  reinforced  con- 
crete building,  it  will  generally  be  found  that  even  though 
the  concrete  structure  cost  complete  10  per  cent  more  than 
mill  construction,  there  will  be  a  saving  annually  of  from 
IMs  to  2  per  cent." 

(See  also  pages  39,  113-115,  and  472  for  other  data.) 
The  following  table  is  presented  in  "Factories  and  Ware- 
houses,"  by   the  Assoc.   of  Am.   Portland   Cement  Manufac 
turers. 


512 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


COMPARATIVE   COST  OF   BUILDINGS   OF    MILL 
CONSTRUCTION    AND    CONCRETE 


Initial  cost  of 
Building 

Yearly  charges: — 

Interest   at   6^    

Taxes   at    \%    

Fire  Insurance: 

Building     

Contents     

Depreciation 

Items      charged       against 

mill  construction  only: 
(a)  Loss  due  to  vibration, 


Mill  Construction 
$100,000 


Reinforced  Concrete 
$115,000 


at  70c. 
at  90c. 
at 


(b)  Increased      light,      \% 
increase  in  efficiency  of 
labor.       Assume     labor 
equal    to    1-4    value    of 
contents  or  $50,000   ... 

(c)  Vermin   losses    

(d)  Heating    charge    

(e)  Protection   against  fire 
at    0.5$     on     value     of 
50$     of      building    and 
contents    


$6,000 
1,000 

700 
1,800 
1,250 


450 


500 
100 
100 


750 


at  25c. 
at  60c. 
at  0.25$ 


$6,900.00 
1,150.00 

287.50 

1,200.00 

287.50 


$12,650  $9,825.00 

Annual  saving  of  concrete  over  mill  construction  $2,825 

If  the  saving  of  $2,825.00  per  year  be  capitalized  at  6  per 
cent;  it  would  represent  an  investment  of  $47,083.00.  In 
other  words,  a  concrete  building,  though  15  per  cent  higher 
in  initial  contract  cost  than  a  mill  building  of  similar  design, 
would  save  each  year  2  8-10  per  cent  on  all  fixed  charges. 
(But  the  depreciation  on  the  concrete  building  is  too  low.  A 
period  of  400  years  is  unreasonable  for  a  factory  structure.) 

THICKNESS: — In  the  early  days  of  reinforced  concrete  sev- 
eral large  buildings  were  erected  with  walls  only  2  and  3 
inches  thick.  San  Francisco  in  the  ordinance  of  1910  sets 
the  minimum  thickness  at  6  inches  when  the  wall  space  be- 
tween the  columns  does  not  exceed  300  sq  ft;  between 
300  and  400,  8  inches  thick;  and  12  inches  when  the  area  is 
over  400. 

DWELLINGS:— At  the  1911  meeting  of  the  National  Build- 
ing Brick  Manufacturers'  Association  a  paper  was  read  by 
Mr.  J.  P.  B.  Fiske  giving  the  results  of  a  careful  investiga- 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS  513 

tion  of  the  cost  of  the  average  8-room  house  when  con- 
structed of  various  materials.  A  set  of  plans  was  made, 
specifications  prepared  for  the  various  types,  and  bids  taken 
from  5  contractors  on  9  different  styles  of  outside  wall  con- 
struction. One  of  the  types  was  actually  built. 

DESCRIPTION 

TYPE  NO.  1: — Frame  covered  with  boards  and  finished  with 
clapboards  over  building  paper;  inside  surface  furred,  lathed 
and  plastered. 

TYPE  NO.  2: — Frame  covered  with  boards  and  finished  with 
shingles  over  building  paper;  inside  surface  furred,  lathed 
and  plastered. 

TYPE  NO.  3: — A  10"  brick  wall,  that  is,  two  4"  walls  tied 
together  with  metal  ties  and  separated  by  a  2"  air  space; 
inside  surface  plastered  directly  on  the  brickwork. 

TYPE  NO.  4:— A  12"  solid  brick  wall,  inside  surface  furred, 
lathed  and  plastered. 

TYPE  NO.  5: — Hollow  terra  cotta  blocks,  8",  stuccoed  on 
the  outside  and  plastered  directly  on  the  inside. 

TYPE  NO.  6:— Hollow  terra  cotta  blocks,  6",  finished  with 
a  4"  brick  veneer  on  the  outside  and  plastered  directly  on 
the  inside. 

TYPE  NO.  7:— Frame  covered  with  boards  and  building 
paper,  furred  and  covered  with  stucco  on  Clinton  wire 
cloth;  inside  surface  furred,  lathed  and  plastered. 

TYPE  NO.  8: — Frame  covered  with  boards  (building  paper 
omitted)  and  finished  with  a  4"  brick  veneer  on  the  outside; 
inside  surface  furred,  lathed  and  plastered. 

TYPE  NO.  9:— Frame  finished  on  the  outside  with  a  4" 
brick  veneer  tied  directly  to  the  studding  (boarding  omit- 
ted);  inside  surface  furred,  lathed  and  plastered. 

(It  is  not  usual  to  fur  frame  dwellings  on  the  inside,  and 
this  is  probably  a  misprint.) 


514 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


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COMPARATIVE     COSTS  515 

DETAILS    COMMON    TO    ALL   TYPES 

A — Foundations   Local  Stone 

B — Cellar  Floor. Finished  with  2"  concrete  of  Portland  cement 

C — Chimney Faced  with  Brick  costing  $17.50  per  M. 

D — Fireplaces  . . Faced  with  Brick  costing  $17.50  per  M. 

E — Plastering First-class  "two-coat"  work 

F— Exterior  Finish Cypress- 

G — Blinds White  Pine 

H — Screens Copper  bronze  on  white  pine  frames 

I — Window  Frames Hard  Pine 

J — Floors. ..  .Double  Floors  throughout,  with  paper  between 
except  in  unfinished  attic;  Georgia  pine  upper 
floors;  main  hall  on  first  floor  of  oak. 

K — Inside  Finish  North  Carolina  Pine 

L — Doors   Washington  Cedar 

M — Hardware    Bronze  finish  of  ordinary  type,  costing 

$60.00  for  the  job. 

O— Conductors   Copper 

P — Flashing    Tin 

Q — Electric  Fixtures  Costing  $80.00 

R — Hot  Water  Heating Costing  $250.00  complete 

S — Wiring    Costing  $68.00 

T — Plumbing  Costing  $370.00 

U — Painting. Exterior  and  interior;  clapboard  house,  $225.00; 

other  houses,  $130.00. 

V — Glazing  Double  thick  German  Glass- 
Note: — Shades,  kitchen  range  and  tile  work  not  included. 
DETAILS: — It  is,  of  course,  possible  to  increase  the  cost  of 
any  house  by  using  expensive  materials,  such  as  the  highest 
grades  of  pressed  brick,  or  the  more  expensive  tapestry 
qualities.  And  so  on  in  other  fields  than  masonry. 

Tapestry  bricks  are  of  many  styles  and  colors,  but  the 
tints  are  burned  in  instead  of  coming  from  artificial  mixtures. 
There  is  a  great  variety  of  colors.  The  usual  sizes  are 
8x2i4x3%;  12x2*4x4;  18x2x6.  The  mortar  joints  run  as  wide 
as  1%",  so  that  a  wall  with  this  size  has  half  the  surface  of 
mortar.  The  face  patterns  are  of  all  kinds. 


516  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For  the  ordinary  work  with  a  rough  joint,  the  laying  is,  if 
anything,  easier  than  for  common  pressed  brick;  but  the 
pattern  work  takes  more  time  according  to  design. 

(See  also  pages  117  and  454  for  some  other  dwelling  data.) 
RIVALRY: — The  success  of  the  reinforced  system  of  con- 
struction has  rather  stirred  up  the  "old  line"  fireproof  com- 
panies and  the  brick  manufacturers.  Competition  is  the  life 
of  the  interesting  comparisons  that  are  always  being  made 
between  the  costs  of  the  various  systems.  It  should  be 
remembered  that  in  an  ordinary  dwelling  or  structure  it  is 
principally  the  framework  that  is  affected  by  the  kind  of 
material  used.  The  newer  fittings  of  fireproof  finish  for 
doors,  base,  etc.,  are  not  applied,  even  in  a  house  that  is 
called  fireproof.  Walls,  floors,  ceilings,  partitions  being 
attended  to,  the  millwork,  plumbing,  plaster,  electric  fixtures, 
painting  (inside)  and  other  factors  should  not  enter  into  a 
comparison.  They  are  but  slightly  affected  by  the  style  of 
construction. 

The  National  Fireproofing  Company,  dealing  in  hollow  tile, 
publishes  a  table  giving  costs  of  various  types  of  construction, 
based  on  an  average  frame  dwelling  costing  $10,000  complete 
in  the  vicinity  of  New  York  City.  The  figures  are  based  on 
averages  taken  from  two  architects  and  two  builders  witb 
experience  in  the  type  selected. 

TABLE  OF  COST 

(A)  $10,000  Frame. 

(B)  11,000  Brick  outside  walls,  wooden  inside. 

(C)  10,000  Brick  outside  walls,  backed  up  with  Natco  hol- 

low tile. 

(D)  10,250  Stucco  on  expanded  metal,  wooden  inside. 

(E)  10,500  Natco  hollow  tile,  stuccoed,  wooden  inside. 

(F)  12,000  Natco  hollow  tile,  stuccoed,  fireproof  throughout 

except  roof. 

(G)  14,000  Natco  hollow  tile  walls  faced  with  brick,  fire- 

proof floors  and  roof. 
(H)       15,000  Brick  walls,  fireproof  floors  and  roof. 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS  517 

INSURANCE: — The  method  of  allowing  for  this  item  in  a 
non-fireproof  building  is  shown  on  page  115.  This  expense 
should  always  be  considered  in  comparing  the  fireproof 
structure  with  the  ordinary  type.  If  an  expense  of  $100  per 
annum  has  to  be  met  this  means  an  investment  of  $2000,  at- 
the  rate  of  5  per  cent.  The  difference  in  the  yearly  insurance 
bill  should  first  of  all  be  ascertained  to  see  if  the  principal 
necessary  to  produce  the  amount  would  not  be  better  put  in 
a  fireproof  building. 

LOSS: — Another  danger  is  loss  of  business  through  a  fire. 
This  sometimes  amounts  to  a  great  deal.     Still  another  is 
loss  of  rentals,  and  one  more  is  depreciation,  which  is  more 
on  ordinary  structures  than  strictly  fireproof  ones. 
EXTERIOR  WALLS:— COST  OF  SOME  TYPES  PER  SQ.  FT. 

With        Net 
Rubble  with  16"  walls  and  cut  stone  openings        area 

trimmings  for  doors  and  windows         30  cents     34  cents 
Rubble  as  above  covered  with  rough  cast  35       "        39 

COMMON  BRICKWORK      (On  basis  of  1000  sq  ft.) 

Thick-  Number  Number  Cost  at  $12 

ness  Required  Required  in  per  M  in 

of  in  Wall  Actual  or  Wall 

Wall  Measure  Kiln  Count  Measure 

(22V2)  (17) 

4%"  7500  5667  9c   per  sq  ft. 

9"  15000  11334  18c 

13"  22500  17000  27c 

17"  30000  22668  36c 

PRESSED  BRICKWORK      (On  basis   of  1000   sq  ft.) 
Actual  number  required,  6500  at  $20=        -        -        -    $130. 

Labor  laying 75. 

Mortar -        -        10. 


$215.00 
Profit 21.50 

$236.50 
Allow  per  sq  ft 24  cents 


£18  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

COMMON    BRICK   FACED  WITH   $20   PRESSED 

Thickness  over  all  Per  sq  ft 

9"  33  cents 

13"  42       " 

17"  51       " 

21"  60       " 
COMMON   BRICK  FACED  WITH  $40  PRESSED 

(Pressed  brick  alone,  39  cents.) 

Thickness  over  all  Per  sq  ft 

9"  48  cents 

13"  57      " 

17"  66       " 

21  75       " 

MOISTURE  PROOFING:— Add  for  this,  per  sq  ft,  2  coats, 
3  cents. 

FURRING: — 16"   centers    (no   lath):    Add    per    sq   ft    frotri 
2  to  3  cents,      (see  page  136.) 

PLASTER: — 2-coat  on  moisture  proofing,  per  sq  ft  3  cents. 
PLASTER: — 2-coat  on  wood  lath,  per  sq  ft  4  cents. 

(See  page  136.) 

BRICK  VENEERING 
(On  basis  of  1000  sq  ft.) 
COMMON  BRICK:  — 
Number  required  in  wall  measure,  7500. 
Number  required  in  actual  or  kiln  count, 

6000  at  $8  -        -  •;    -  .- .' -'•-•     $48 

Mortar  -        -        -       V*      *•     :X»    10 

Labor  •        -        -        -        -        *        78 

Profit,  10^        -        -        -        -  v  '.-.'     -    14 

Per  sq  ft  15  cents  $150 

PRESSED   BRICK  AT  $20— VENEERING 
6500  brick  at  $20          ....     $130 

Mortar  12 

Labor  - 90 

Profit,  100 23 

Per  sq  ft  26  cents  $255 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS  519 

PRESSED  BRICK  AT  $40— VENEERING 
6500  brick  at  $40  -  -  -  -  $260 
Mortar  12 

Labor  100 

•    Profit  37 

Per  sq  ft  41  cents  $409 

MOLDED  or  other  stone  sills,  clips,  etc.,  not  allowed. 
NOTE: — In  making  a  comparison  of  walls  there  is  one  point 
that  has  to  be  remembered  with  a  9"  brick  one:  When  on 
an  upper  story  it  requires  a  13"  wall  below.  That  it  does 
not  always  have  a  p.oper  foundation  is  beside  the  question. 
It  ought  to  have  one. 

For  a  stud  wall  on  a  common  dwelling  a  9"  foundation  is 
usually  made  to  serve,  and  it  is  strong  enough  if  well  laid 
in  mortar  with  not  less  than  half  cement,  and  with  an  oc- 
casional buttress,  bay  extension  or  partition  to  brace  it.  A 
mortar  of  cement  alone  is  naturally  better. 

Take,  for  illustration,  the  wall  of  a  common  flat.  Assume 
that  it  is  8'  6"  from  the  bottom  of  footings  to  the  top  of  the 
first  floor,  9'  6"  clear,  and  1  ft  to  top  of  second  floor,  a  total 
of  19ft  high  by  1ft  wide,  or  19  sq  ft  at  13".  The  second  story 
9ft  in  clear,  and  averaged  2ft  for  slope  of  roof,  a  total  of 
11  sq  ft  of  9". 

The  19  sq  ft  of  13"  common  brick,  at  27  cents=$5.13;  the 
11  sq  ft  of  9"  at  18  cents=$1.98,  a  total  of  $7.11.  Dividing 
this  by  the  total  number  of  sq  ft=23.7  cents,  or  practically 
24  averaged  all  over  the  wall.  To  get  a  fair  average  of  a 
certain  class  of  wall  the  necessary  foundation  ought  to  be 
included,  and  the  price  taken  from  footing  to  the  coping,  or 
plate. 

Take  next  a  building  with  one  story  and  basement:  Allow 
8'  6"xl3"  from  bottom  of  footings  to  top  of  floor  as  before; 
and  Il'x9"  for  the  top  story.  On  the  same  unit  prices  the 
cost  of  the  basement  wall,  1ft  wide,  is  $2.30;  and  of  the  top 
story,  $1.98,  a  total  of  $4.28.  This  divided  by  the  total  sq  ft 
gives  an  average  of  close  to  22  cents.  In  comparing  a  9" 
brick  wall  with  a  stud  one,  therefore,  the  foundation  must  be 


520  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

remembered,  for  a  light  9"  may  be  used  with  frame  con- 
struction. In  all  cases  the  figure  should  be  from,  footing  to 
top  of  wall. 

CEMENT   BLOCK  WALLS 
For  12"  and  8",  2-story,  averaged  per  sq  ft  at      30  cents 

For  8".    1-story    25  cents 

MOISTURE  PROOFING  or  furring  to  be  added  the  same  as 
already  given  for  brick. 

AVERAGE: — All  that  the  figures  are  expected  to  give  is  an 
average.  For  example,  the  brickwork  ought  to  be  cheaper 
for  a  17"  wall  than  for  a  9"  per  M,  but  there  is  no  change  in 
the  table. 

FRAME   WALLS 
(See  pages  24-27.) 

DETAILED  COST  OF  1  SQUARE  OF  WALL  WITH  2x4 
STUDS  AT  16"  CENTERS:— 

Studding,  80ft  B.  M.  at  $24 $1.92 

Labor  at  $12  per  M 96 

Nails     10 

$2.98 

Sheeting,  116ft  B.  M.  at  $27 .$3.14 

Labor  at  $7  per  M 82 

Nails     10 

$4.06 

Paper    .25 

Siding,  6"  plain  work  with  corner  boards, 

120ft  at  $34   $4.08 

Labor   ,       1.60 

Nails     10 

$5.78 

Painting,  3  coats  2.75 

Profit,   10£    1.58 

Total   ~      $17.50 

Per  sq  ft  18  cents 

NOTE: — The  cost  of  this  wall  is  the  same  as  the  one  with 
9"  common  brick,  but  the  difference  comes  in  the  use  of  a 
13"  wall  for  a  basement  in  the  brick  building,  while  a  9" 


COMPARATIVE     COSTS  521 

serves  in  the  frame.     But  the  sill   must  be   added  for  the 

frame. 

AVZRAGE: — It  would  be  easy  to  make  a  wall  cost  from  25 

to  100  per  cent  more  than  the  PLAIN  one  detailed  above. 

Angles,   bays,   projections,   etc.    are   costly.      Corner   boards, 

outside  base,  window  or  door  frames,  cornice,  etc.  are  not 

included. 

With   the  above    detailed   wall   as   a   basis,   the   following 
figures  are  made:  per  sq  ft 

Wall  as  given  without  plaster,  (No.  1) 18  cents 

"          "      with  inside  2-coat  plaster,  (No.  2) 22      " 

"          "      with  other  plasters  see  page  136. 
"          "      with   share   of  sill   on   1-story   bldg. 
add  2  cents  per  sq  ft;  for  2-story 

add  1  cent.     For  No.  1 19  and  20 

With  inside  plaster  No.  1  23  and  24 

(A  6x8  sill  at  20  cents  per  lin  ft  is  allowed.) 

Wall  with  angle   sheeting  instead  of  level    20 

Wall  with  2x4  studs  set  12"  instead  of  16"   19 

Wall  with  2x6  studs,  16"  centers,  instead  of  2x4   19% 

Wall  with  2x6  set  12"  centers    20% 

Wall  with  4"  siding  instead  of  6",  with  corner  boards.  .20% 

Wall  with  6"  mitered  siding  instead  of  corner  boards 

Wall  with  4"  mitered  siding  instead  of  cor.  bd.  and  6". 

Shingles,  undipped,  plain  work  18 

Shingles,  dipped  in  creosote  21 

(See  page  26  for  itemized,  approximate  figures) 
Plaster  on  the  inside  is  not  given  above  except  on  the 
No.  2  wall.     The  allowance  for  sill  is  not  included,  except 
as  noted. 

FOR  PLASTER:— Wall  as  above  detailed  out,  without  siding 
and   paint,   but   including   furring   strips   at   10"   centers   on 

outside,  metal  lath  and  plaster 24% 

Add  for  sill,  cornice,  etc.  as  may  be  required. 
There  are  some  substitutes  for  metal  lath  on  the  market, 
but.   in   general,   it   is   not   advisable   to   use   them   on   the 
outside. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

CORNICES  AND  CANVAS  ROOFS 

As  a  contribution  from  a  practical  cornice  maker  the 
following  material  is  worth  putting  by  the  side  of  the  other 
information  on  pages  240-241.  It  appeared  originally  in  "Tiie 
Sheet  Metal  Shop." 

PER  FOOT: — "The  best  way  is  to  estimate  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  cost  of  the  -labor  and  materials  required  per 
foot  of  cornice  and  then  add  for  each  miter,  after  which  an 
addition  should  be  made  of  the  allowance  determined  as  the 
proper  percentage  to  charge  for  general  expenses. 

WIDTH: — "To  get  the  amount  of  the  material  add  the  height 
of  the  cornice  to  its  projection,  and  the  result  will  generally 
be  about  the  girth,  unless  there  is  a  foot  mold  with  a  pro- 
jection, in  which  case  twice  the  projection  should  be  added. 
Then,  if  the  cornice  cover  is  to  be  included,  it  should  be  added 
also,  making  an  allowance  of  3  or  4  inches  for  it  to  turn 
up  against  the  wall,  and  an  allowance  of  6  inches  for  a 
cap  flashing.  After  figuring  the  cost  of  the  galvanized  iron 
add  the  iron  lookouts,  if  they  are  to  be  included,  and  then 
add  any  stamped  zinc  work,  panels,  or  dentils,  including 
with  each  the  labor  required  to  solder  or  rivet  these  to  the 
cornice. 

"This  gives  the  unit  cost  per  foot  of  cornice. 

"Multiplying  this  by  the  number  of  feet  gives  the  cost 
of  the  cornice  at  the  shop.  To  this  should  be  added  so  much 
for  each  miter,  and  for  cartage,  labor  erecting,  etc. 

"DENTILS: — In  figuring  the  dentils  the  number  per  foot 
should  be  averaged,  the  size  noted,  and  the  cost  of  making 
and  attaching  each  set  down  as  nearly  as  possible.  Find 
from  this  the  cost  per  foot  for  dentils. 

522 


CORNICES     AND     CANVAS     ROOFS  523 

"MODILLIONS  and  brackets  should  be  figured  in  the  same 
way  of  getting  the  cost  of  each,  and  then  per  foot  of  cornice 
for  these  items. 

"ZINC: — The  cost  of  this  item  must  be  carefully  figured 
from  the  catalog  and  discount  sheet.  The  cost  is  regulated 
by  the  figures  chosen,  some  being  shallow,  stamped,  and 
cheap;  while  others  are  of  the  highest  priced  designs,  with 
stamping  deep  and  bold,  and  possibly  undercut. 

"SPECIALS: — Still  other  work  may  require  stamped  designs 
that  have  to  be  especially  made,  and  are  thus  more  costly 
than  stock,  especially  if  quantity  is  small. 

"It  will  thus  be  seen  that  a  small  stamped  mold  of  a 
^•ertain  design  might  cost: 

10  cents  per  foot  in  a  shallow  stock  design; 

25  cents  per  foot  in  a  heavy  better  grade  of  stock  design; 

$1  per  foot,  probably,  for  a  small  quantity  of  special  design. 

A  liberal  price  should  be  made,  as  express  charges  are 
heavy  on  this  material. 

"METHOD: — It  is  better  to  make  an  estimate  this  way  than 
to  figure  the  total  cost  of  all  the  iron  for  the  whole  job, 
then  the  number  of  brackets,  etc.,  and  add  a  lump  sum  for 
the  labor  of  making  and  erecting,  because  it  is  easier  to  find 
how  much  time  will  be  required  to  make  a  foot  of  cornice 
than  to  lump  it  all  together,  for  then  the  tendency  is  to 
get  the  total  too  high  or  too  low.  And  by  figuring  the  cost 
per  foot,  it  is  easy  to  make  any  changes  in  price  made 
necessary  by  addition  to  or  deduction  from  the  job.  A  further 
advantage  is  that  the  unit  price  gives  the  estimator  a  chance 
to  compare  the  price  per  foot  with  other  similar  jobs. 

"EXAMPLE: — A  practical  illustration  of  this  method  is 
about  as  follows: 

Take  a  building  30'x60'  with  a  cornice  all  the  way  around, 
3'  high  by  2'  projection,  with  a  foot  mold  projecting  4";  to 
have  one  row  of  3"  egg  and  dart  mold,  and  a  frieze  enrich- 
ment 10"  wide;  plain  modillions  8"  deep  x  10"  wide  x  18" 
projection,  all  outside  measurement,  spaced  3'  on  centers. 


524  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

with  a  row  of  3"x2"x3"  dentils.  The  material  to  be  No.  26 
galvanized  iron  put  on  wood  lookouts  furnished  by  general 
contractor.  An  estimate  would  run  like  this: 

Building  30'x60'x2'= 180' 

Add  for  4  projections 8' 

Add  for  laps,  1%"  for  each  10'  length= 2' 

Total  number  of  feet  190' 

Projection  2',  height  3f,  foot  mold  4"x2=total  of  5'  8". 
Allowing  for  laps  make  the  girt  6'  even. 

"No.  26  galvanized  iron  weighs  about  9-10  Ib.  per  sq  ft, 
and  thus  the  total  for  6  sq  ft  is  5.4  Ibs.  The  galvanized  iron 
costs  us,  say,  31/&  cents  per  Ib.  at  the  freight  station.  Adding 
cartage,  handling,  storing,  etc.  will  easily  bring  the  price 
to  4  cents.  Many  estimators  make  the  mistake  of  figuring 
the  iron  at  the  invoiced  price,  forgetting  cartage,  handling 
and  the  loss  of  the  band  iron  holding  the  sheets  together, 
but  it  is  a  question  if  y2c  per  sq  ft  extra  is  enough  to  cover 
these  items. 

"We  have,  then,  per  lin  ft  5.4  Ibs  of  galvanized  iron  at  4c 
=21.6,  or  22c  in  even  figures. 

LINEAL  FOOT  COSTS 

For  5'  8"  girt,  figured  at  6' $0.22 

Labor   molding    same    08 

Mold,  3"  egg  and  dart,  and  express  charges        .10 

Labor  putting  on  egg  and  dart  mold 05 

Enrichment  for  frieze,  10"  zinc  at  20c 20 

Solder  and  labor  putting  on  enrichment 05 

Modillions,  3'  apart,  90c  each,  per  ft 30 

Dentils,  per  ft , .15 

Total  cost  of  cornice  at  shop $1.15 

Total  number  of  feet  required  190x$1.15= $218.50 

Addition  for  making  4  miters  at  job . .  4.00 

Addition  for  cartage   2.00 


CORNICES    AND    CANVAS    ROOFS  525 

Labor  erecting   (scaffold     furnished     by     general 
contractor) : 

One  man  3  days  at  $3.50 *. 10.50 

Two  helpers  3  days  at  $2 12.00 


Total  cost  of  labor  and  material  $247.00 

Addition  for  general  expense,  10  per  cent 24.70 


Total  cost  of  job $271.70 

Allow  for  profit,  20  per  cent 54.34 


Bid  for  the  work $326.04 


The  cost  per  lineal  ft  of  net  size  of  the  building  is  $1.81. 
In  case  of  extras,  such  as  scaffold,  board  for  out  of  town 
work,  freight,  etc.  an  allowance  has  to  be  made. 

CANVAS  ROOFS 

ROOFING: — After  the  cornice,  comes  the  roof  covering. 
Prices  on  many  kinds  are  found  from  Index,  but  canvas  roofs 
are  not  included.  They  are  popular  in  eastern  states  espe- 
cially, and  almost  anywhere  on  the  sea  coast. 

As  an  average  the  following  prices  are  taken  for  New 
York  and  St.  Louis,  Boyle  &  Company. 

FOR  PORCH   ROOFS,  PIAZZA  FLOORS,  ETC. 
GULF   STREAM    ROOFING   CANVAS 

Widths  Grades  per  yd 

D      P      H      J 

26"      $0.45    .39     .35     .29 

30" 52     .45     .40     .33 

36"    62     .54     .48     .40 

The  discounts  on  the  above  are  30  per  cent  off  for  rolls 
of  about  100  yards,  and  20  per  cent  for  smaller  quantities. 
For  roofs  and  porches  where  there  is  much  walking  grades 
D  and  F  are  best;  where  there  is  no  walking,  H  or  J. 
Labor  laying  and  painting  have  to  be  included. 


526  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

BAYONNE    ROOF   AND    DECK    CLOTH 


Fabric  1287 

Fabric  1288 

Fabric  1299 

Color  0-107 

Color  0-107 

Color  0-107 

$0.59 

.74 

.86 

.68 

.82 

.95 

Widths  30" 
36" 

The  discounts  on  the  above  are  35  per  cent  off  for  full 
rolls  of  about  100  yards,  and  25  for  cut  lengths. 

LAYING: — First  of  all,  a  smooth  surface  of  jointed  boards 
is  imperative  for  a  foundation.  The  GULF  STREAM  brands 
are  unpainted  canvas.  The  method  of  laying  them  is  to 
give  the  wood  one  coat  of  lead  and  oil  paint  and  lay  the 
canvas  when  the  paint  is  wet.  Roll  canvas  on  a  stick  to  keep 
taut.  Laps  must  be  at  least  l1/^".  Tacks  not  more  than  %" 
apart.  The  edges  must  be  painted  before  lapping.  After 
laying  give  two  coats  of  lead  and  oil  in  the  regular  way. 

The  BAYONNE  is  laid  in  the  same  way,  but  without 
painting  the  boards,  or  the  laps.  The  canvas  is  prepared 
in  a  way  that  preserves  the  fibre,  and  unless  there  is  much 
walking,  requires  only  one  coat  of  paint  after  laying.  It 
does  not  buckle  as  the  ordinary  material  often  does,  and 
while  the  first  cost  is  greater,  the  fibre  lasts  longer, 
and  is  really  more  economical.  The  tacks  are  17oz,  tinned. 

One  method  of  laying  is  described  above,  but  sometimes 
roofing  paper  is  laid  down  on  rough  boards.  This  is  not 
so  good  as  when  laid  down  on  smooth  boards.  After  the 
canvas  is  wet,  it  is  painted  with  lead  and  oil  before  it  dries 
to  waterproof  it.  The  painting  is  then  done  on  top,  and  a 
finish  made  with  an  iron-clad  paint. 

As  may  be  seen,  the  cost  of  a  good  roof  runs  into  money 
when  covered  with  canvas,  just  as  it  does  with  other 
materials. 

Take  a  36-inch  width  of  Bayonne  at  95  cents.  In  a  square 
there  are  11  1-9  yards,  but  allowing  for  laps  and  a  little 
waste,  12yds  would  be  required.  This  comes  to  $11.40,  less 


CORNICES     AND     CANVAS     ROOFS  527 

a  discount  of  35  per  cent,  on  the  basis  of  using  at  least  a 
roll.     The  net  sum  is  $7.41. 

Material  per  square   $7.41 

Labor  laying  (See  page  247) 54 

One  coat  of  paint  on  top 1.00 


$8.95 

Or,  selecting  a  cheaper  grade  of  36"  J  at  40  cents  per  yard, 
the  figures  would  be: 

Material  per  square  $4.80  less  30^ $3.36 

One  coat  of  paint  on  boards  : . . . .       1.00 

Labor    laying    60 

Two  coats  paint  on  top 2.00 


$6.96 

Profit  has  to  be  added.     On  large  surfaces  the  figures  may 
be  reduced. 


CHAPTER   XXXIV. 

THE  SPRINKLER  SYSTEM 

COST: — On  page  303  the  average  cost  of  sprinkler  equip- 
ment is  given.  The  systems  differ  so  much,  however,  that 
to  get  the  exact  value,  a  plan  and  bill  of  material  have  to 
be  made  on  the  complete  installation  in  the  regular  manner. 
Neither  the  square  foot  nor  the  cubic  foot  systems  will  work 
for  anything  else  than  an  approximate  idea  of  the  cost;  and 
a  better  way  of  getting  this  is  to  count  the  outlets. 

In  New  England,  where  mill  building  has  been  reduced  to  a 
science,  the  cost  is  lower  than  elsewhere,  being  only  about 
$2.75  per  head  or  outlet.  For  fireproof  work  in  the  same 
section  $4  is  sufficient.  But  in  such  cities  as  New  York  and 
Chicago  mill  outlets  may  run  to  $4,  and  in  reinforced  con- 
crete buildings  and  other  fireproof  structures  to  $6  and  $6.50. 

A  former  fire  chief  of  New  York  City  gave  the  value  of  a 
complete  sprinkler  equipment  as  4  per  cent  of  the  cost  of  the 
building.  As  may  be  judged  by  what  has  been  already 
written,  this  is  only  an  approximate  figure. 

What  is  said  to  be  the  largest  system  of  sprinklers  in  the 
United  States  was  installed  in  1911  in  the  Armour  packing 
plant  in  South  Omaha.  According  to  the  newspaper  report 
the  cost  was  $160,000.  In  this  system  there  are  50  miles  of 
pipes,  28,000  sprinkler  heads,  high  pressure  pumps,  and  a 
steel  tank  with  a  capacity  of  100,000  gallons.  A  separate 
water  system  is  used.  When  a  sprinkler  head  is  released 
it  sounds  an  alarm  in  the  engine  room,  and  starts  the  fire 
pumps  going.  Every  room  in  the  plant,  every  bridge  and 
platform  is  protected.  The  cost  is  about  $6  per  head. 

A  western  planing  mill  has  a  system  that  takes  care  of 
166,000  sq  ft.  The  cost  was  6  cents  per  sq  ft,  but  the  instal- 
lation was  made  when  figures  were  low,  or  about  $3  per 
head,  not  including  tank  and  connections.  For  this  kind  of 
work  a  figure  of  $5  to  $6  is  not  unusual. 

528 


THE     SPRINKLER     SYSTEM      •  529 

The  Boston  Manufacturers'  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Com- 
pany, 31  Milk  St.,  Boston,  issues  a  pamphlet  with  full  instruc- 
tions for  various  layouts,  with  sizes  of  supply,  etc.  All  plans 
are  examined,  criticised  and  approved,  free  of  charge,  before 
insurance  is  granted.  By  this  system  the  hest  expert  advice 
is  obtained,  and  expensive  changes  are  never  necessary. 

AUTOMATIC  SYSTEM: — Some  of  the  special  rules  of  this 
company  are  given  here,  so  that  sizes  of  supply  and  other 
pipes  may  be  judged  for  appraisal  where  plans  are  not  ob- 
tainable. 

VALVE: — First  of  all,  there  has  to  be  a  valve  about  40  to  50 
ft  away  from  the  building.  In  general,  the  supply  or  con- 
necting pipes  from  the  valve  in  to  the  building  should  not  be 
more  than  6";  but  sometimes  8"  are  used,  with  2  risers  of 
6".  Small  buildings  with  not  more  than  50  sprinkler  heads 
may  have  a  4"  supply. 

An  independent  system  should  be  used  if  possible,  and  not 
one  connected  with  the  regular  fire  supply,  especially  when 
that  comes  from  a  tank.  "Supplies  from  two  independent 
sources  are  necessary,  at  least  one  of  which  should  be  auto- 
matic." It  is  considered  a  good  idea  to  put  up  a  tank  dis- 
charging into  the  yard  system  and  serving  both  fire  hose  and 
sprinklers.  The  capacity  should  not  be  less  than  30,000  gal- 
lons, and  the  bottom  of  the  tank  should  be  from  75  to 
100  ft  above  the  yard  level.  The  supply  does  not  come 
directly  from  the  tank,  but  from  the  yard  system,  which  is 
reinforced  by  the  extra  pressure. 

HANGERS: — They  are  made  of  round  iron  rod.  The  size 
for  %"  to  2"  pipe  is  5-16";  2  Ms"  to  3",  %";  Zy2"  to  6",  %"; 
7"  to  8",  %".  If  the  rods  are  threaded,  they  msut  be  about 
ys"  more  in  diameter  than  the  foregoing. 
PIPE: — The  best  is  galvanized  iron,  painted  every  year  with 
red  lead  and  linseed  oil. 

WINDOWS,  CORNICES,  and  other  parts  of  a  building  are 
often  supplied  with  sprinklers  to  let  down  a  sheet  of  water. 
DANGER: — One  of  the  dangers  of  the  sprinkler  system  is 


530  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

the  accidental  release  without  any  fire.  This  results  in  great 
damage  from  water.  But  the  best  modern  systems  are  safe- 
guarded against  this  contingency. 

EFFICIENCY: — Manufacturers  and  merchants  all  over  the 
country  are  now  paying  more  attention  to  sprinklers  than 
formerly.  The  system  has  so  many  advantages  that  it  is 
considered  to  pay  for  itself  in  six  or  seven  years  through  the 
reduction  in  the  rate  of  insurance.  In  the  first  quarter  ol 
1911,  of  1086  fires  under  sprinkler  risks,  646  were  practically 
or  entirely  extinguished,  403  were  checked,  and  in  only  37 
did  the  system  fail  to  give  satisfaction.  Sprinklers  are  ready 
all  the  time,  start  only  when  the  head  or  outlet  melts  under 
a  temperature  of  140  to  160  degrees,  throw  the  water  only 
where  needed  as  the  fire  spreads  and  melts  new  heads,  and 
keep  going  in  a  heat  and  smoke  where  firemen  could  not  live. 

SPECIAL  CONDITIONS:— In  the  case  of  an  appraisal  the 
size  and  distance  of  the  inside  pipes  can  be  seen,  as  distin- 
guished from  those  that  are  buried  in  the  ground.  If,  in 
spite  of  the  sprinkler  system,  the  building  is  a  total  loss, 
and  an  estimate  has  to  be  made  of  the  piping,  it  is  rather 
hard  to  do  anything  without  a  plan  or  a  knowledge  of  the 
number  of  outlets.  The  latter  may  have  been  8'  apart  in  12' 
bays,  or  12'  apart  in  bays  of  6'  for  ordinary  hazard;  and  7' 
to  11'  if  the  hazard  is  special.  According  to  the  regular 
table  this  would  be  when  the  water  pressure  exceeded  20 
Ibs.  per  sq.  inch.  When  less,  or -supplied  by  a  tank  the  fig- 
ures for  centers  of  outlets  would  be  7'  to  11'  for  ordinary- 
risk,  and  6'  to  10'  for  special. 

The  foregoing  is  for  regular  mill  construction.  For 
joisted  ceilings  the  figures  in  the  first  case  would  be  8'  to 
10',  ordinary;  7%  to  9'  special;  in  the  second  with  tank 
supply,  7%  to  9';  and  6^  to  8'. 

Unless  a  plan  is  available  or  sizes  and  centers  known,  ?t 
is  thus  seen  to  be  rather  a  difficult  undertaking  to  get  an 
accurate  valuation  of  a  sprinkler  system  if  the  building  is 
burnt;  and  we  must  always  remember  that  it  was  in  Boston 


THE     SPRINKLER     SYSTEM 


531 


itself,  the  center  of  the  best  sprinkler  installations,  that  the 
fire  chief  said  he  knew  of  only  one  really  fireproof  struc- 
ture, and  that  was  "the  reservoir. 

For  ordinary  work  without  long  runs  or  special  require- 
ments the  sizes  of  pipe  for  a  minimum  number  of  automatic 
sprinklers  are  as  follows: 


%-inch  pipe, 

1  inch  pipe, 
1*4  inch  pipe, 
iy2  inch  pipe, 

2  inch  pipe, 
2y2  inch  pipe, 

3  inch  pipe, 
3y2  inch  pipe, 

4  inch  pipe, 

5  inch  pipe, 

6  inch  pipe, 


1  Automatic 

2  Automatic 

3  Automatic 
5  Automatic 

10  Automatic 

20  Automatic 

36  Automatic 

55  Automatic 

80  Automatic 

140  Automatic 

200  Automatic 


Sprinkler 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 

Sprinklers 


DATA: — The  size  of  the  risers  may  be  estimated  from  the 
table.  The  center  of  the  system  is  naturally  the  best  place 
to  put  the  riser,  but  sometimes  it  is  put  on  the  side  when 
the  branch  lines  are  not  too  long.  Not  more  than  6  sprink- 
lers should  be  put  on  a  branch.  The  size  of  the  distributing 
pipe  tapers  from  the  riser  down  to  the  end  of  the  run.  The 
following  figures  show  layouts  from  which  a  fair  idea  of 
systems  and  sizes  may  be  obtained  for  valuation. 


532 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


3  in. 


Acceptable  Arrangement. 

COST  OF  INSURANCE: — When  a  good  sprinkler  system  is 
installed  the  rates  of  insurance  are  lowered  from  50  to  35 
per  cent,  depending  upon  the  character  of  the  work.  On  the 
wet-pipe  system,  double  supply,  the  above  reductions  are  put 
in  force  in  Boston.  With  Sprinkler  Notification  the  rate  is 
35  per  cent  off;  with  Automatic  Fire  Alarm,  Watch  Supervi- 
sion, and  Sprinkler  Notification,  50  per  cent.  The  Boston 
Chamber  of  Commerce  Committee  set  forth  the  advantages 
of  the  Sprinkler  system  in  September,  1911,  thus: 

"The  following  illustration  is  typical  of  the  cost  of  insur- 
ance before  and  after  sprinkling.  This  illustration  is  taken 
for  a  building  which  has  about  35,000  sq.  ft: 

Value   of  building    $  53,000.00 

Value  of  contents    150,000.00 

Five-year  rate  on  building  per  $100  before  sprinkling, 

$0.36  per  annum,  which  makes  the  insurance $    190.80 

Annual  rate  on  contents,  $1.15,  which  makes  the  cost 

of  insurance  of  contents  before  sprinkling 1,725.00 


Total  cost  of  insurance  per  annum   $1,915.80 


THE     SPRINKLER     SYSTEM 


533 


"The  cost  of  the  installation  of  sprinklers  would  be  ap- 
proximately $1750,  and  the  reduction  in  insurance  premiums 
would  be  40  per  cent.  Forty  per  cent  of  $1915.80  is  $766.32. 
That  is,  an  investment  of  $1750  would  make  a  saving  of 
$766.32  in  insurance  rates.  If  we  charge  15  per  cent  interest 
and  depreciation  on  the  investment,  it  still  leaves  a  net  profit 
of  $503.82,  by  which  the  sprinkler  installation  would  pay  for 
itself  in  three  and  a  half  years." 

CAST-IRON  WATER  PIPES:— For  factory  yards  the  sizes 
are  given  by  the  Mutual  Fire  Insurance  Companies.  To  clear 
the  frost  the  depth  of  earth  covering  over  the  top  of  the  pipe 
should  run  from  2'  6"  in  the  south  to  5'  6"  in  Canada,  New 
England,  Northern  New  York.  Local  conditions  have  to 
settle  this  matter,  which  involves  the  cost  of  excavation. 
HYDRANTS  ought  to  be  set  about  50  ft  away  from  the  build- 
ing protected,  so  that  they  will  not  be  smashed  by  falling 
walls.  They  may  be  better  protected  from  danger  behind  a 
low  building  or  other  barrier. 

LENGTH  of  pipe  is  12  feet,  exclusive  of  socket. 

The  three  following  tables  give  the  sizes,  etc.,  for  pres- 
sures that  do  not  ordinarily  exceed  125  Ibs,  but  may  occa- 
sionally go  as  high  as  150  without  danger.  The  tables  are 
those  of  the  Water  Works  Associations: 


Class   E 

of  New  England  W.  W.  Assoc.   Specifications. 

Nominal  In- 
side diam. 
of  pipe 

Thickness 
of  shell. 

Weight 
per  length 
incl.  socket. 

Weight  per 
ft.  including 
socket. 

Weight  per 
ft.  excluding 
socket. 

(inches) 

(inches) 

(pounds) 

(pounds) 

(pounds) 

4 

.39 

230 

19 

17 

6 

.46 

380 

32 

29 

8 

.53 

575 

48 

44 

10 

.60 

810 

67 

64 

12 

.65 

1040 

87 

82 

14 

.70 

1310 

109 

103 

16 

.75 

1600 

133 

125 

18 

.80 

1910 

159 

148 

20 

.85 

2260 

188 

176 

24 

.95 

3000 

250 

234 

30 

1.10 

4340 

361 

338 

36 

1.25 

5900 

492 

460 

534 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Class  C  of  American  W.  W.  Assoc.  Specifications. 


Nominal  In- 
side diam. 

Thickness 
of  shell. 

Weight 
per  length 

Weight  per 
ft.  including 

Weight  per 
ft.  excluding 

of  pipe 

incl.  socket. 

socket. 

socket. 

(inches) 

(inches) 

(pounds) 

(pounds) 

(pounds) 

4 

.48 

280 

23 

21 

6 

.51 

430 

36 

33 

8 

.56 

625 

52 

48 

10 

.62 

850 

71 

65 

12 

.68 

1100 

92 

85 

14 

.74 

1400 

117 

108 

16 

.80 

1725 

144 

133 

18 

.87 

2100 

175 

162 

20 

.92 

2500 

208 

191 

24 

1.04 

3350 

279 

258 

30 

1.20 

4800 

.400 

367 

36 

1.36 

6550 

546 

498 

5.  Lead  and  Jute.  The  approximate  amount  of  lead  and 
jute  yarn  required  for  making  joints  is  shown  in  the  table 
below.  This  is  based  on  pipe  in  twelve-foot  lengths.  Where 
many  fittings  and  bends  are  required,  larger  amounts  should 
be  allowed.  The  lead  in  each  joint  should  be  run  at  a  single 
pouring. 


WEIGHT    OF    LEAD    AND    JUTE    REQUIRED    IN    LAYING 

PIPE. 


Size  of  Pipe 
(inches) 

Lbs.of  Lead 
per  ft.  of  Pipe  j 

perSft°fof1pfpe  j    -020  -024  -028  -034  Ml  '°48    -052  -062  -069  -085  -105  -120 


4       6       8     10     12      14       16     18     20     24     30     36 
0.5     0.8     1.0    1.3    1.5    1.8       1.9    2.3    2.5    3.0    3.8    4.5 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 


SILOS. 

SHAPE: — The  makers  of  silos  are  agreed  upon  at  least  one 
proposition,  and  that  is  that  the  round  form  is  the  best.  It 
gives  more  capacity  for  the  least  material,  and  packs  better. 
But  this  shape  has  one  drawback,  so  far  as  the  concrete  silo 
is  concerned:  the  forms  are  expensive.  Even  when  all  the 
labor  is  given  free  by  a  farmer  this  shape  is  hard  to  make 
and  handle.  If  several  silos  are  to  be  built  of  the  same  diam- 
eter, the  cost  is  spread  among  them. 

SIZE: — The  diameter  of  a  silo  should  not  exceed  half  the 
height,  or  be  more  than  20  ft  for  general  use;  but  some  are 
made  as  wide  as  24  ft,  and  one  is  listed  at  60  ft  inside  by  40 
high.  A  limit  of  36  ft  is  used  for  height,  as  a  rule,  but  there 
are  silos  as  high  as  50,  and  even  60  ft.  Wind  pressure  has- 
to  be  guarded  against  with  unusual  heights.  Some  wood  silos 
have  been  blown  over. 

It  is  often  better  to  build  two  of  smaller  diameter  than  one 
of  large,  in  order  to  be  able  to  use  enough  silage  to  keep 
ahead  of  the  mold — about  2"  per  day — and  for  ease  of  filling. 
When  more  than  400  tons  are  required  in  a  season  it  is  ad- 
visable to  use  two.  The  well-known  rule  as  to  capacity  of 
circular  bodies  should  always  be  remembered  in  arranging 
for  silos— circles  are  to  each  other  as  the  squares  of  their 
diameter.  Thus,  a  silo  10  ft  inside  has  just  about  half  the 
area  of  another  at  14,  for  10x10=100,  while  14x14=196, 
or  close  to  twice  as  much.  A  silo  of  20  ft.,  or  just  twice  as 
much  as  the  10-ft  one.  has  four  times  the  area  and  capacity 
per  ft  of  height. 

The  following  table  gives  the  silo  data  used  in  most  calcu- 
lations. The  average  feed  for  one  animal  is  40  Ibs  per  day. 

535 


536  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SILO  DATA. 


NUMBER 
OF  Cows 
IN  HERO 

FEED  FOR  180  DAYS 

FEED  FOR  240  DAYS 

||| 
Kg 

03  O  a 

111 

W° 

Size  of  Silo. 

tfusg 

i!' 

l« 

§s 

•OOQ  £ 

1*1 

||l 

WB 

Size  of  Silo 

.iss 
w 

&s 

•U 

J£ 

Q 

1 

i 

1 

1 
1 

10  
12  
15 

Tons 

36 
43 
54 
72 
90 
108 
126 
144 
162 
180 
216 
252 

Feet 

10 
10 

11 

12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
16 
17 
18 
19 

Feet 

25 
28 
29 
32 
33 
34 
34 
35 
37 
37 
39 
40 

Acres 

2i 

3 

4 
5 
6 
7i 
81 
10 
11 
12 
14| 
17 

Tons 
48 

57 
72 
96 
120 
144 
168 
192 
216 
240 
288 
336 

Feet 

10 
10 

11 

12 
13 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 

Feet 

31 
35 
36 
39 
40 
37 
38 
39 
39 
39 
40 

Acres 

31 
4 
5 

1* 

10 
11 
13 
14| 

16 
19 

20  
25  
30  . 

35  
40  
45  
50  
60  
70 

EXAMPLE: — Assume  that  we  are  going  to  build  a  silo  with 
12  ft  inside  diameter  and  24  ft  high. 

EXCAVATION: — First  of  all  comes  the  excavation,  which 
must  be  made  deep  enough  to  clear  the  frost  and  leave  banks 
to  resist  wind  pressure,  but  not  more  than  6  ft  below  the  barn 
floor.  In  some  soils  the  hole  can  be  made  of  the  exact  out- 
side size,  while  in  others  the  excavation  has  to  be  extended 
far  enough  past  the  building  line  to  keep  the  earth  from 
falling  in. 

Let  us  allow  the  outside  walls  at  10-in,  as  in  a  cement  block 
silo,  although  the  concrete  ones  are  only  6-in.  This  makes 
the  outside  size  13'  8".  An  extra  2  ft  on  each  end  will  usually 
be  sufficient  for  the  slope  that  may  be  necessary  on  soft 
earth,  to  a  depth  of  5  ft.  Across  the  top  of  the  circle  would 
thus  be  17'  8",  or  say,  18'  even.  At  the  bottom,  in  even 
figures,  14',  an  average  excavation  of  16  x  5  deep. 


SILOS 


537 


APPROXIMATE   CAPACITY    IN    TONS   OF    ROUND   SILOS 

(The  diameter  is  shown  at  the  top  of  the  columns  and  depth  at  the  left) 


HEIGHT  II 
OF  SILO 

INSIDE  DIAMETEK  OF  SILO  IN  FEET  AND  THE  CAPACITY  IN  TONS  (2000  Ibs.) 

10ft. 

11  ft. 

12ft. 

13ft. 

14ft. 

15ft. 

16ft. 

17ft. 

18ft. 

19ft. 

20ft. 

Feet 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

Tons 

20 

26 

21 

28 

22 

30 

36 

23 

32 

39 

24 

34 

41 

49 

25 

36 

43 

52 

26 

38 

46 

55 

64 

27 

40 

49 

58 

68 

28 

42 

51 

61 

71 

83 

29 

44 

54 

64 

75 

87 

30 

47 

56 

67 

79 

91 

105 

31 

49 

59 

70 

83 

96 

110 

32 

51 

62 

74 

86 

100 

115 

131 

33 

53 

65 

77 

90 

105 

121 

138 

31 

56 

68 

80 

94 

109 

126 

143 

162 

35 

58 

70 

84 

98 

114 

132 

149 

169 

36 

61 

73 

87 

102 

118 

136 

155 

176 

196 

37 

63 

76 

90 

106 

123 

142 

161 

183 

204 

38 

66* 

79 

94 

110 

128 

148 

167 

191 

212 

237 

39 

68 

82 

97 

115 

133 

154 

174 

198 

221 

247 

40 

70 

85 

101 

119 

138 

160 

180 

205 

229 

256 

280 

Referring  to  the  table  of  areas  of  circles  on  page  395,  we 
find  that  a  14-ft  one  has  201  sq  ft,  which,  multiplied  by  5 
equals  1005  cu  ft,  or  practically  37  cu  yds.  A  trench  is 
sometimes  cut  around  under  the  walls,  and  the  ground  may 
be  unequal — a  fair  allowance  for  a  silo  of  this  diameter  and 
depth  in  the  ground  in  soft  soil  would  be  40  yds  of  excava- 
tion; in  hard  soil,  allowing  14  ft  diam,  or  154  sq  ft  area,  about 
28V&  yds,  or  30  in  even  figures  would  be  close  enough.  The 
cost  might  be  $8  to  $6  in  country  districts,  depending  upon 
rate,  and  nature  of  soil. 

First  of  all,  get  the  area  of  the  circle  to  suit  the  nature  of 
the  soil,  multiply  by  the  depth  in  feet,  divide  by  27  to  get 
the  yards,  and  then  figure  at  the  local  rate  for  hard  or  soft 
soil.  Some  silos  go  20  feet  in  the  ground;  most  of  them  from 


538  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

4  to  5.  For  a  deep  silo  see  the  chapter  on  Measurement,  this 
book,  and  get  rate  allowed  by  the  Chicago  contractors  ac- 
cording to  depth.  (See  page  41  for  data.) 
TABLE  OF  EXCAVATION:— On  page  397  of  the  "Estimator" 
there  is  a  table  that  gives  the  gallons  in  round  tanks.  The 
area  in  sq  ft  is  also  given,  and  as  the  figures  are  made  out 
on  the  basis  of  1  foot  deep,  the  area  corresponds  to  the  cubic 
feet  also.  Thus,  a  tank  26'  9"  inside  contains  562  sq  ft,  and 
for  each  foot  of  depth  562  cu  ft.  If,  then,  we  divide  the  562 
by  27  we  get  the  number  of  cu  yds  to  each  diameter  of  inside 
or  outside  size,  as  may  be  selected. 

The  excavation  of  a  silo  or  any  circular  body  is  easily 
figured  from  this  table.  We  get  the  distance  over  the  walls, 
or  the  footings  if  they  extend,  look  in  the  table  for  the  nearest 
figure  that  suits  the  diameter,  and  multiply  by  the  depth. 
Thus,  a  tank  or  silo  18'  9"  over  the  walls,  and  without  any 
extension  for  footings  or  soft  soil,  has  an  area  of  276.12  sq  ft. 
Assuming  that  it  goes  down  8  ft  in  the  ground,  the  excavation 
would  be  276.12x8,  and  divided  by  27  equals  2208.96  cu  ft, 
or  close  to  82  yds. 

CONCRETE   BASE 

On  the  bottom  of  the  silo  there  should  be  a  concrete  base. 
A  thickness  of  4"  is  sufficient  on  hard  soil,  but  some  silos 
have  6.  In  wet  soils  I  have  seen  water  come  through  18" 
and  more  in  thickness,  and  this  when  mopped  tar  paper  was 
spread  in  between  layers  of  concrete.  Here,  again,  each  case 
must  be  settled  for  its  own  conditions. 

The  size  we  have  selected,  12'  inside  diameter  and  10" 
walls,  makes  13'  8"  over  all.  The  area  of  a  circle  13'  9"  is 
148.49  sq  ft.  This  is  close  enough  for  our  purpose.  There 
are  16^  sq  yds.  On  page  59  the  price  of  this  kind  of  plain 
work  is  given  under  various  conditions.  The  ordinary  price 
for  sidewalks  in  cities  is  13c  per  sq  ft.  At  this  unit  the  cost 
is  $19.30,  labor  included.  Allow  $20.  For  ordinary  conditions, 
a  mixture  of  1  of  cement,  3  of  sand,  and  6  of  stone  is  suffi- 
cient, but  wet  soils  must  have  1,  2,  4.  This  increases  the  cost 
a  little. 


SILOS  539 

FOOTINGS: — If  a  trench  has  to  be  cut  for  wider  footings 
than  the  walls  themselves  provide,  multiply  the  diameter  by 
3  1-7  for  the  length  around,  and  by  the  section  for  the  con- 
tents; or  the  circumference  may  be  found  for  even  figures  on 
page  395.  Thus,  the  size  of  13'  8"  over  the  walls  we  are 
figuring  would  be  12'  10"  to  the  center  line,  or  so  close  to  13 
ft  that  we  call  it  that  for  concrete.  Assuming  that  the  ring 
is  18"  wide  and  12"  deep,  we  have  41  ft  practically  around 
x  1'  6"  x  1',  or  Gl1/^  cu  ft.  A  more  exact  way  is  to  get  the 
areas  of  the  outside  and  inside  circles,  and  subtract  the  one 
from  the  other. 

QUANTITIES  FOR   CONCRETE   BASE,  FLOORS,  SIDE- 
WALKS,  ETC. 

RULE: — From  the  total  thickness  deduct  the  surfacing,  then, 
find  the  actual  number  of  cu  yds  in  the  base.  Multiply  by 
the  Quantities  given  on  pages  54  and  55,  according  to  the: 
proportion  and  size  of  stone  selected. 

For  example,  in  the  floor  of  a  silo  13'  9"  over  all  there  are 
148  -sq  ft.  At  4"  thick  this  makes  49  1-3  cu  ft,  or,  for  the 
calculations  of  a  building  contractor,  2  cu  yds,'  allowing  a 
little  to  fill  inequalities  in  the  ground,  waste,  etc.  For  a  1, 
3,  6  mixture,  using  2%"  stone,  the  quantities  are  2  bbls  ce- 
ment, 1  yd  sand,  and  2  yds  stone. 

The  surfacing  has  to  be  added,  as  given  on  page  60,  for  the 
above  is  supposed  to  be  the  base  alone.  But  silos  do  not 
require  a  fine  surface. 

The  excavation  and  concrete  base  may  apply  to  any  kind 
of'a  silo.  We  have  now  to  consider  different  kinds  of  super- 
structures. 

CEMENT  BLOCK  SILOS. 

The  advantages  of  this  style  are  that  no  forms  are  re- 
quired, and  that  the  blocks  have  hollow  spaces  to  keep  out 
damp  and  frost.  In  the  more  severe  latitudes  this  provision 
is  not  always  enough,  and  double  walls  with  air  space 
used. 


540  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

About  every  third  course  the  cement  block  silos  are  rein- 
forced by  an  iron  rod  embedded  in  the  masonry,  in  a  special 
groove.  Many  of  these  block  silos  have  been  wrecked  for 
want  of  reinforcement. 

A  farmer  might  supply  all  the  labor  on  a  solid  wall,  rein- 
forced concrete  silo,  and  in  this  way,  if  forms  were  at  hand, 
find  it  cheaper  than  the  cement  block  one,  because  the  blocks 
are  usually  made  in  machines  too  expensive  to  buy  for  a 
single  silo,  and  the  labor  and  profit  of  the  block-maker  have 
to  be  paid  for.  Occasionally  a  farmer  gets  over  this  by 
making  a  wood  mold  for  the  blocks.  A  thickness  of  10"  13 
usually  allowed  for  the  lower  third  of  the  cement  block  silo, 
and  8"  for  the  upper  two-thirds. 

The  distance  around  the  outside  of  a  13'  8"  silo  is  43  ft,  on 
the  3  1-7  principle.  The  total  height  is  24  ft,  or  1032  sq  ft  in 
all.  There  are,  then,  344  sq  ft  at  10",  and  688  at  8".  Practi- 
cally the  difference  in  cost  is  not  great,  for  the  heavy  blocks 
are  as  easy  laid  a  little  below  and  above  ground  level  as  the 
lighter  ones  are  higher  up,  and  the  material  does  not  cost  so 
much  extra.  At  20c  per  sq  ft,  without  profit  the  total  is 
$206.40,  including  scaffolding,  etc. 

REINFORCEMENT  would  be  a  Vz"  rod  every  2  ft  in  height. 
Allowing  for  laps,  each  rod  would  be  46  ft  long.  There  would 
be  10  above  ground,=460  ft=303  Ibs  x  3c=$9.10.  Allow  $10. 
GROUTING:— The  inside  is  often  plastered  with  a  very  thin 
coat,  or  a  grout  made  and  the  finish  put  on  as  in  a  cistern, 
with  equal  parts  of  cement  and  sand.  For  this  work  and 
pointing  up  all  the  outside  allow  $18,  which  is  a  third  more 
than  many  would  charge.  Other  items  are  given  in  the  table. 

COST  OF  CEMENT  BLOCK  SILO,  12  FT  INSIDE  X  24  HIGH 

Excavation $  8.00 

Concrete  base  20.00 

Cement  blocks 206.40 

Reinforcing  rods  (horizontal  only)    10.00 

Cement  wash  and  pointing   18.00 

Doors    (4)     40.00 


SILOS  541 

Roof  and  vent    40.00 

Small  dormer   18.00 

Ladder  rungs  and  bolts 10.00 

,  Profit  for  contractor,  10^    37.00 

$407.40 

SOME  UNIT  PRICES:— The  area  is  147  sq.  ft  on  the 
ground,  and  this  gives  $2.77  per  sq  ft.  It  seems  a  high  price, 
but  few  contractors  would  care  to  take  the  contract  at  city 
rates  for  only  one.  What  allowance  is  there  for  liability 
insurance?  In  my  "Contractors'  and  Builders'  Handbook" 
there  are  some  cases  given  for  only  one  state  where  verdicts 
were  rendered  for  sums  ranging  from  $5000  to  $40,000  for 
deaths  by  accidents  or  carelessness.  Farmers  who  build  silos 
seldom  think  of  the  risk  of  accident  or  death  and  heavy 
verdicts. 

The  rate  per  cu  ft  is  11.6  cents;  per  sq  ft  taken  on  the  out- 
Bide  of  the  walls,  39.5  cents. 

The  actual  figures  on  a  cement  block  silo  built  in  Michigan 
are  given  below.  The  size  is  14  ft  inside  diameter  x  35  ft 
high.  The  lower  third  is  of  10"  blocks,  and  the  upper  two- 
thirds  of  8".  A  reinforcement  of  y2  rod  is  used  every  2  ft 
horizontally.  The  blocks  are  8"  x  16"  face  size.  The  mortar 
1  cement  to  2  sand. 

COST  OF  CEMENT  BLOCK  SILO  14  FT  INSIDE  X  35  HIGH 

50  Barrels  of  cement  $62.50 

37  Loads  of  sand  and  gravel 22.50 

Iron   door   and   frame    15.00 

Steel  reinforcement    41.30 

Roof   complete    27.30 

Labor  (except  roof)    139.70 

Extra  team  work 2.00 

$310.30 

UNIT  COSTS:— There  is  no  profit  allowed  in  the  above 
figures,  but  net  cost.  Even  at  that  the  total  is  low.  Allow- 
ing $350  with  profit,  the  unit  costs  are  per  sq  ft  on  ground, 


$42  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

$1.82;  per  cu  ft,  5.2  cents;  per  sq  ft  taken  en  the  outside  of 
the  walls,  20.3  cents. 

Some  small  items  like  ladder  rungs  are  not  given. 

A  reasonable  allowance  is  made  for  a  silo  given  in  a  lead- 
ing farmers'  journal.  It  is  16  ft  inside  diameter  x  34  ft  high, 
with  12"  solid  concrete  walls  without  reinforcement,  and 
being  inside  of  a  large  barn  has  no  roof.  A  total  of  74  cu 
yds  of  concrete  is  put  at  $8  per  yd,  making  $592.  Excavation 
is  not  required.  Allowing  $15  for  a  light  floor,  $40  for  doors, 
$10  lor  ladder  rungs,  etc.,  the  figure  is  $657,  or  $725  including 
a  profit.  But  a  silo  inside  a  barn  is  hard  to  fill,  and  some 
say  there  is  danger  of  tainted  milk. 

UNIT  COSTS: — This  is  at  the  rate  of  $2.85  per  sq  ft  of 
ground  size;  a  little  less  than  8^c  per  cu  ft;  and  about  38c 
per  sq  ft  around  the  walls. 

ANOTHER  EXAMPLE: — The  actual  figures  on  a  silo  of  10 
ft  inside  diameter  x  31  ft  deep  with  6"  concrete  walls  were 
as  follows: 

EXCAVATION  through  stone  and  gravel,  11'  x  13'  deep,  took 
18  days  for  1  man.  The  total  is  46  cu  yds,  or  2  6-10  yds  per 
day. 

LABOR  on  the  silo  itself  was  41  days  for  1  man. 
MATERIAL  for  the  silo  proper  was  $70.    There  were  20  yds 
of  concrete  in  the  walls. 

Putting  the  excavator's  time  at  $1.75  per  day,  the  total  for 
this  item  is  $31.50.  Allowing  a  constructor's  and  laborer's 
time  at  $2.50  for  41  days,  or  $5  for  half  that  time,  we  get 
$102.50.  Without  any  profit  or  reinforcement,  $204.  Allow- 
ing  $21  for  a  small  profit,  $225.  The  lumber  was  used  over 
again,  and  the  cost  of  this  item  is  not  given. 

A  plain  roof  was  put  on,  covered  with  prepared  roofing. 
UNIT  COSTS:— The  sq  ft  cost,  ground  size,  is  $2.37;   cu  ft 
cost,  less  than  7%  cents;  and  the  cost  per  sq  ft  of  wall  sur- 
face around  the  outside,  21  cents. 

The  above,  however,  is  one  of  those  structures  so  economi- 
cally put  together  that  the  average  contractor  could  not  make 
a  living  building  them. 


SILOS 


543 


IDEAL  SIZE: — One  Michigan  farmer  gives  the  best  size  of 
silo  for  general  use  as  15  ft  inside  diameter  by  25,  30,  or  33 
ft,  as  may  be  desired.  Of  course,  in  the  cement  blocks  the 
smooth  wall  has  to  be  on  the  inside,  and  the  change  from  10" 
to  8"  thickness  shown  on  the  outside.  This  allows  the  silage 
to  sink  and  pack  easily. 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  SILOS. 

This  is  a  common  and  excellent  system  of  construction, 
but  the  trouble  comes  with  the  forms.  Farmers  sometimes 
join  together  and  make  one  set  to  serve  a  dozen  silos. 

The  following  "Atlas"  table  gives  the  necessary  data  for 
the  construction  of  silos  of  the  sizes  listed.  The  stone  used 

DATA   FOR    REINFORCED   CONCRETE   SILOS 

(Including  6-inch  Floor) 

Proportions:  1  Part  "Atlas"  Portland  Cement  to  2  Parts  Sand 
to  4  Parts  Gravel  or  Stone 


HORIZONTAL 

Height 

Inside 
Diameter 

Thickness 
of  Wall 

REINFORCEMENTS 

Cement 

Sand 

Stone 

O]7ft 

Spacing 

Qize 

C.  to  C. 

Feet 

Feet 

Inches 

Inches 

Inches 

Bbl 

CuYds 

CuYd 

10 

5 

6 

1 

12 

61 

2 

4 

10 

10 

6 

12 

181 

4 

8 

15 

5 

6 

12 

9^ 

3 

6 

15 

8 

6 

12 

14£ 

4 

8 

15 

12 

6 

12 

24 

6| 

13 

20 

8 

6 

12 

19| 

5 

10 

20 

12 

6 

12 

29£ 

8 

16 

20 

15 

6 

12 

38 

10 

20 

25 

10 

6 

12 

27| 

7£ 

15 

25 

15 

6 

12 

45 

12 

24 

25 

20 

6 

12 

62 

*6| 

33 

30 

10 

7 

12 

37 

10 

20 

30 

15 

7 

12 

58 

15| 

31 

30 

20 

7 

12 

80 

22£ 

45 

40 

15 

8 

12 

80 

22  £ 

45 

40 

20 

8 

12 

114 

30| 

61 

40 

25 

8 

1 

12 

147 

38| 

77 

Place  vertical  rods  same  size  as  horizontal,  2J  feet  apart. 
A  cubic  yard  is  about  H  single  load  or  J  of  a  double  load. 


544  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

should  not  be  large,  except  on  the  bottom  if  desired.  A 
size  of  %,  or  gravel,  is  better  than  the  ordinary  sizes.  The 
table  allows  for  a  6"  floor.  The  proportion  for  the  walls  is 
1,  2,  4;  for  the  floors,  1,  3,  6  is  considered  right  for  dry 
ground.  The  quantity  of  cement  allowed  is  ample. 
QUANTITIES: — The  proportions  may  not  always  be  the 
same  as  given  in  the  table,  and  the  walls  may  not  go  clear 
around  as  there  figured,  but  have  a  continuous  opening  2' 
6"  wide  for  doors.  The  method  shown  below  will  apply  to 
any  mixture  or  sizes.  The  idea  is,  as  already  explained  for 
base,  sidewalks  and  floors,  to  find  the  number  of  cubic  yards 
and  then  use  the  tables  on  pages  54  and  55. 
EXAMPLE:— Take  a  silo  12  ft  inside  diameter  by  20  high, 
and  with  the  usual  6-inch  walls.  The  outside  diameter  is  13 
ft,  and  this  is  close  enough  for  such  calculations,  although 
12'  6"  should  be  used,  or  the  area  of  the  inside  circle  sub- 
tracted from  that  of  the  outside  one  to  find  the  surface  of  the 
6-inch  ring. 

The  distance  around  a  13-ft  diameter  circle  is  40.841  ft,  as 
is  shown  on  page  395.  This  is  40'  10".  Multiplied  by  the 
height  of  20  ft,  the  area  is  816.82  sq  ft,  say,  816  at  6"  thick. 
This  means  408  cu  ft.  equaling  15  cu  yds.  With  a  1,  2,  4 
mixture,  using  stone  not  over  1",  as  large  stone  is  not  fit  for 
silo  walls,  we  require  1.46  bbls.  cement,  0.44  yd  of  sand,  and 
0.89  yd  of  stone.  For  15  yds  the  quantities  are  21.9  bbls. 
cement,  or  22  in  even  figures,  6.6  yds  sand,  13.35  yds  stone. 
All  this  for  the  walls  only. 

The  floor  has  an  area  over  the  walls  of  close  to  133  sq  ft 
(See  page  395).  At  6"  thick  this  is  66.5  cu  ft,  or  2.46  cu  yds. 
A  mixture  of  1,  3,  6  is  usually  sufficient  for  a  floor,  and  large 
stone  may  be  used  if  desired.  The  units  given  on  page  54 
for  2y2  stone  are  1.06,  0.48,  0.97,  or,  close  enough  for  this 
work,  a  bbl  of  cement,  half  a  yd  of  sand,  and  a  yd  of  stone. 
We  require  2y2  bbls  of  cement,  l1^  yds  of  sand,  2%  yds  of 
stone. 

The  totals  are  24^  bbls  cement,  7.85  or  8  yds  of  sand,  and 
15.85  or  16  yds  stone.  The  allowance  in  the  table  is  high 


SILOS  545 

for  cement,  but  with  thin  walls  there  is  sometimes  waste;  a 
footing  course  is  often  used,  and  all  the  work  is  spoiled  if 
enough  cement  is  not  put  in  the  mixture.  Then  the  floor 
may  be  1.2.4  instead  of  1.3.6,  as  above  figured,  and  some  may 
want  a  sidewalk  surface. 

LABOR:— Of  110  silos  investigated  by  the  Universal  Port- 
land Cement  Company,  74  were  built  by  contractors,  9  by 
owners  with  foremen,  and  27  by  owners  alone.  The  labor  is 
given  without  the  height  as  follows: 


Hours 

Diameter 

Days 

per  day    No.  men 

8 

10  to  14 

4            4 

12 

10  to  16 

4            4 

16 

10  to  16 

4            4  to  5- 

20 

10  to  20 

4            5 

22 

12  to  20 

4            5 

CHUTE: — Some  silos  are  built  with  a  chute.  Material  must 
be  allowed  extra  for  them.  A  good  size  for  monolithic  con- 
struction is  3  ft  x  4  ft  inside  measurement.  For  a  block 
construction  as  close  to  this  as  the  blocks  allow. 
EXAMPLE:— Two  ailos  16x40  inside  were  built  for  the  fol- 
lowing detailed  figures,  each: 

45  cu  yds  of  gravel,    at  30  cents   $13.50 

68  bbls  ot  cement,  at  $1.25   85.00 

1700  Ibs  of  iron,  at  $2.15  per  hundred 36.55 

Use  01  lumber  for  scaffold 10.00 

Hauling  of  gravel 20.00 

Excavating 6.00 

Labor,  6  men  for  7  days,  at  $2 84.00 

Use  of  concrete  mixer   35.00 

Superintendent,  and  use  of  forms  80.00 


$370.05 

THE  WALLS  were  from  9"  to  10"  at  bottom,  and  5^"  at 
top.     The   iron  used   was    %",   round   for  the   uprights,   and 


546  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

square  for  the  level.    The  uprights  were  set  at  about  2  feet 
centers,  and  the  horizontals  about  9  inches. 
THE  DOORS  were  26"  x  60",  with  about  3  feet  of  solid  wall 
between  the  head  of  the  one  and  the  bottom  of  the  other. 
A  %"  iron  .was  used  across  the  center  of  the  door,  and  ex- 
tending into  the  concrete  on  each  side  about  5  feet.     Square 
irons  were  placed  up  the  sides  of  the  doors. 
A  MIXER  does  the  work  faster  and  better,  but  the  labor 
costs  as  much,  for,  with  small  buildings,  hand  labor  is  about 
as  cheap. 

The  foregoing  silos  were  built  in  Indiana. 
NO  FORMS: — Some  of  the  expanded  metal  companies  recom- 
mend a  silo  built  on  a  removable  framework  of  2  x  4's.  The 
studs  are  set  up  all  around  close  enough  to  make  the  circle, 
a  small  diameter  requiring  more  than  a  large,  and  the  metal 
is  bent  around  on  the  inside  and  fastened.  The  plaster  is 
then  applied  on  the  inside  only.  After  it  dries  the  studs  are 
removed  and  reinforcement  wound  around  the  outside.  Then 
the  plaster  is  put  on  in  the  usual  way,  making  the  total  thick- 
ness about  3". 

Still  another  method  is  to  leave  the  studs  standing  and 
lath  on  the  outside  with  the  metal,  thus  giving  a  hollow 
space.  Steel  studs  are  sometimes  used.  As  with  other  build- 
ing structures,  there  is  quite  a  variety  in  silo  construction. 

The  Universal  Portland  Cement  Company  of  Chicago  and 
Pittsburg  collected  some  excellent  silo  data  to  encourage  the 
use  of  its  product.  Some  of  the  figures  are  used  below. 
LARGE  SILO:— The  largest  silo  built  up  to  1912  is  60  ft  in 
diameter  by  40  high.  The  capacity  is  2250  tons;  the  cost  was 
$2500,  or  $1.11  per  ton  capacity.  It  is  in  Waukesha,  Wiscon- 
sin. It  is  monolithic,  or  made  out  of  mixed  concrete,  and 
not  cement  blocks. 

The  next  one  in  the  high  price  column  is  $1600.  The  size, 
24  ft  diameter  by  50  ft  high.  The  cost  per  ton  capacity,  97 
cents. 

AVERAGE  COST  PER  TON  CAPACITY:— For  silos  under 
100  tons,  $2.89  monolithic;   $3.52  cement  block;   from  100  to 


SILOS  547 

200,  $2.38  and  $2.88;  over  200  tons,  $2.18  for  monolithic. 
Average  of  more  than  100  silos  investigated,  $2.30  for  mono- 
lithic, and  $3.11  for  cement  block.  The  lowest  cost  of  mon;> 
lithic  is  in  Wisconsin,  at  $2.10,  and  the  highest  cement  block 
in  the  same  state  at  $3.36. 

As  already  stated,  the  cost  per  ton  of  a  large  silo  may  be 
as  low  as  97  cents  and  $1.11  for  monolithic,  but  the  smaller 
sizes  come  to  more  per  unit.  Thus,  a  12x27x58  tons  is 
$4.15;  a  16x30x120  is  $4.16;  a  14x28x83  tons  is  $4.8Q 
Two  at  20x40x282  tons  are  $1.76. 

Average  figures  are  all  that  can  be  given,  unless  the  cost, 
of  material  and  labor  is  known.  Where  there  is  a  clear  range- 
of  figures  from  97  cents  per  ton  to  $4.80,  several  factors  have 
to  be  considered — material,  labor,  effect  of  size  upon  price, 
the  skill  of  the  builder,  whether  profit  is  included  or  not, 
and  so  on. 

The  concrete  block  silos  cost  a  little  more  than  the  mono- 
lithic. Of  30  listed,  the  lowest  is  $1.42  per  ton,  and  the  high- 
est $5.70.  A  farmer  can  build  a  monolithic  silo  easier  that- 
a  block  one.  The  small  sizes  cost  more  here,  as  elsewhere* 
with  ordinary  buildings.  An  8  ft  x  37  x  40  ton  cost  $5.70;  a 
10  x  20  x  36,  $4.20;  a  12%  x  38  x  100,  $5.  The  lowest  is  20  x 
60x530,  $1.42. 

FORMS: — For  a  reinforced  silo  the  forms  are  usually  made 
about  3  ft  high,  with  a  wood  framework  covered  with  No.  24 
galvanized  iron.  They  are  raised  a  little  less  than  3  ft  after 
eacn  filling,  so  that  they  will  not  come  above  the  finished 
work.  For  lumber,  bolts,  sheet  metal,  labor  and  scaffold  a 
price  of  25c  per  sq  ft  of  forms  is  low.  Thus,  on  an  inside 
diameter  of  10  ft  the  outside  and  inside  forms  would  have  a 
surface  of  200  sq  ft,  at  3  ft  wide,  and  this  would  make  a  figure 
of  $50.  The  scaffolding  is  sometimes  only  a  few  planks  laid 
around  on  top  of  the  forms.  A  few  uprights  are  required 
for  a  lever  to  lift  up  the  forms. 

For  an  inside  diameter  of  15  ft  x  3  there  would  be  practi- 
cally 300  sq  ft=$75.  Once  made,  a  set  of  forms  might  be< 
used  for  a  hundred  silos  of  the  same  size,  with  proper  care.. 


548  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

EXAMPLE:— A  reinforced  concrete  silo  15  ft  inside  and  36 
ft  high  took  the  following  material.  The  roof  is  of  concrete, 
reinforced  the  same  as  the  wall.  No  forms  included.  The 
entire  labor  took  5  men  13  days.  Allowing  $3  for  a  foreman 
and  $1.75  for  the  others,  the  wage  bill  is  $130. 

COST  OF   REINFORCED  CONCRETE   SILO,  15   FT 

INSIDE  X  36 
Crushed  rock,  or  screened  gravel,  40  cu  yds,  at  $1.10,.  .$44.00 

Sand,  20  cu  yds,  at  $1.00  20.00 

Portland  cement,  54  bbls.,  at  2 108.00 

Reinforcing,  425  pieces  of  %"  x  10',  1564  Ibs,  at  3c 46.90 

Labor  130.00 

Ladder  rungs,  etc 10.00 

Toors   40.00 

Profit    40.10 ' 

$439.00 

UNIT  COSTS: — The  sq  ft  cost,  ground  size,  is  $2.19;  cu  ft, 
•€  l-10c;  per  sq  ft  of  wall  surface  less  than  25c;  reinforcement, 
less  than  9-10  Ib  to  sq  ft  of  wall  surface;  cost  per  cu  ft  of 
wall,  not  including  floor  or  roof,  $13.14.  But  in  this  silo,  as 
in  others,  local  prices  for  material  and  labor  have  to  be  filled 
in  before  a  new  total  is  found  to  suit  location.  The  forego- 
ing silo  seems  to  be  high  in  cost,  but  there  is  not  much  profit 
to  induce  a  builder  to  risk  taking  the  contract.  Most  men 
who  do  such  work  fail  to  carry  liability  insurance.  They 
taka  the  chance  of  an  accident. 

HOLLOW  WALLS:— In  this  class  of  silos  the  forms  are  set 
about  12"  apart,  instead  of  6"  as  for  the  single  wall,  and 
4"  filling  pieces  made  to  fit  the  circle  are  placed  all  around 
before  the  concrete  is  poured  in.  The  fillers  are. kept  wide 
enough  apart  to  allow  ribs  to  connect  the  two  walls. 

The  outside  ring  is  made  3",  and  the  inside  one  5".  The 
cost  of  this  style  of  construction  is  set  at  25#  more  than  for 
the  single-wall  silo.  The  quantity  of  concrete  is  increased 
from  6"  to  8",  and  fillers  are  to  make  and  set  The  main 


SILOS  549 

forms  are  the  same,  except  as  to  a  slight  change  in  diameter, 
and  the  work  of  raising  them  is  no  greater.  The  hollow 
space  is  not  started  until  the  ground  level  is  reached. 

SPACING  OF  RODS:— In  the  table  already  given  the  vertical 
or  upright  rods  are  spaced  at  30"  centers,  and  the  horizontal 
ones  of  different  stees  at  12".  In  the  silo  15'  x  36  the  vertical 
rods  were  set  at  18"  centers,  and  from  the  top  down  the  hori- 
zontals were  7"  from  36  ft  to  30;  8",  from  30  to  25;  10",  from 
25  to  20;  12",  from  20  to  15;  15",  from  15  to  10;  and  18",  from 
10  ft  to  bottom. 

QUANTITY: — The  Atlas  Portland  Cement  Co.  gives  an  illus- 
tration of  a  silo  20  ft  inside  diameter  x  28  ft  x  12"  reinforced 
walls.  There  were  111  bbls  of  cement  used.  This  just  fits 
the  allowance  of  1.46  bbls  to  the  cu  yd  given  on  page  54  for  a 
1,  2,  4  mixture. 

FORMS: — These  do  not  cost  any  more  for  a  10-inch  wall 
than  for  a  6,  and  thus  per  cubic  foot  of  concrete  they  are 
cheaper. 

SOME   SILO   EXTRAS. 

HY-RIB: — There  is  a  cost  figure  given  on  silos  made  with 
this  material  on  page  461,  but  several  items  have  to  be  added 
to  the  total  of  the  walls.  These  items  may  be  found  under 
the  detailed  cost  of  a  cement  block  silo,  with  changes  to  suit 
the  diameter,  etc.  But  the  price  of  15c,  as  given  by  the  man- 
ufacturer, is  too  low  for  most  localities. 

FERRO  INCLAVE:— On  page  127  the  cost  of  this  system  is 
given  for  straight  work.  The  curved  sheets  for  silos  cost  a 
little  more.  One  advantage  of  this  system  is  that  no  forms 
are  required.  The  sheets  come  curved  to  the  circle  neces- 
sary to  suit  the  diameter.  They  are  made  with  a  dovetail  on 
both  sides  that  holds  the  plaster.  The  ends  of  the  sheets  are 
pushed  together  and  riveted.  The  plaster  is  put  on  in  three 
coats,  and  it  should  be  at  least  2"  thick. 

COST: — From  a  large  percentage  of  silos  the  manufacturers 
put  the  cost  of  the  finished  wall  at  22c  per  sq  ft,  but  this 
does  not  include  anything  except  the  wall  proper.  Excava- 


550  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

tion,  base,  foundation,  doors,  roof,  profit,  etc.,  have  to  ue 
added. 

WOOD  SILOS. 

Many  silos  are  built  up  of  staves,  hooped  on  the  outside 
and  drawn  air-tight.  The  walls  are  of  2"  lumber  for  ordinary 
use,  but  any  required  thickness  may  be  had.  The  finished 
thickness  is,  as  usual,  about  1%".  For  silos  of  ordinary  di- 
ameter this  thickness  is  sufficient,  but  for  the  largest  some 
specify  more.  Yellow  pine  and  Oregon  fir  are  mostly  used. 
ERECTION: — The  companies  usually  sell  F.  O.  B.  factory, 
and  let  customer  put  up  the  work  themselves.  Foundations, 
etc.,  have  to  be  attended  to  as  for  a  concrete  silo.  Four  or 
five  men  make  the  best  erecting  force,  and  the  time  required 
is  from  a  day  on  medium  and  small  sizes  to  three  days  on 
the  largest.  This  does  not  include  the  roof,  which,  however, 
may  be  bought  in  several  sections  ready  to  set  in  place. 
ANCHORS: — Wood  silos  have  to  be  anchored  or  tied  to 
another  building  as  a  protection  against  wind.  Three  to 
eight,  anchors  should  be  used.  They  cost  about  $2  each  for 
ordinary  diameters  and  lengths. 

ROOFS: — Sectional  roofs  cost  from  $2.50  to  $3  per  ft  of 
diameter  supplied  at  the  factories.  Thus,  a  silo  16  ft  diame- 
ter at  $2.50  would  require  an  allowance  of  $40  extra  for  a 
roof.  This  does  not  include  covering,  but  matched  boards  are 
often  considered  sufficient.  The  following  table  gives  the 
factory  price  of  roof  framework  alone  without  boards  at 
Waterloo,  Iowa: 


PRICES  FOR 

FRAMES  FOR 

SILO  ROOFS. 

Silo 

Diameter  of 

Weight 

Price 

10  ft 

210  Ibs 

$7.75 

12  ft 

235  Ibs 

8.05 

14  ft 

250  Ibs 

8.65 

16  ft 

265  Ibs 

9.00 

18  ft 

400  Ibs 

10.90 

20  ft 

500  Ibs 

15.30 

SILOS 


551 


The  following  table  shows  factory  prices  for  2"  silos. 
Erection,  tar  inside,  if  used,  freight,  hauling,  and  painting 
have  to  be  added. 


TABLE  OF  PRICES  FOR  SILOS 
These  prices  do  not  include  the  roof  or  anchor  rods 


Diameter 
Ft. 

¥ 

>> 

11 

u 

0 

Number 
Cows 

I1 

<! 

rt 

q| 
*g 

8a 

5| 

10 

18 

26 

8 

4,100 

$  86.90 

12 

20 

45 

12 

4,450 

107.50 

14 

20 

61 

17 

5,900 

128.70 

16 

20 

75 

20 

6,600 

143.75 

12 

22 

48 

14 

4,750 

115.00 

14 

22 

68 

19 

5,900 

140.00 

16 

22 

77 

22 

7,200 

157.00 

12 

24 

54 

16 

5,350 

137.50 

14 

24 

74 

20 

6,900 

166.45 

16 

24 

96 

27 

7,900 

190.00 

18 

24 

122 

34 

8,800 

213.75 

12 

26 

58 

16 

5,700 

150.00 

14 

26 

80 

22 

7,500 

182.15 

16 

26 

104 

29 

8,500 

203.75 

18 

26 

132 

40 

9,500 

232.50 

14 

28 

86 

26 

8,150 

193.75 

16 

28 

112 

31 

9,150 

222.50 

18 

28 

137 

42 

10,200 

253.75 

16 

30 

121 

34 

9,900 

237.50 

18 

30 

152 

46 

11,100 

270.00 

20 

30 

187 

55 

12,400 

296.25 

16 

32 

131 

40 

10,500 

250.00 

18 

32 

166 

50 

11,750 

283.75 

20 

32 

205 

60 

13,100 

310.00 

Another  price  list,  F.  O.  B.  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  Anderson, 
Ind.;  or  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  gives  more  variety  and  detail, 
including  the  extra  cost  for  creosoting. 


552 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 
COST    OF    WOOD    SILOS 


SIZES 

la  '3 
II 

Estimated 
Weight 

1 

II 

IB! 

2-Piece 
Southern 
Pine 
Creosoted 

For  Creosoting 
1-Po.  and  2-Pc. 
Fir  No.  2  Clear 
and  Better  add 

10x20 

30 

4,115 

$145.00 

$130.50 

$140.00 

$130.00 

$10.00 

10x28 

44 

5,593 

205.00 

184.50 

199.00 

185.00 

14.00 

10x32 

53 

6,406 

235.00 

211.50 

221.00 

205.00 

16.00 

12x20 

45 

4,762 

170,00 

153.00 

150.00 

135.00 

15.00 

12x28 

66 

6,639 

245.00 

220.50 

216.00 

195.00 

21.00 

12x32 

84 

7,563 

275.00 

247.50 

244.00 

220.00 

24.00 

12x36 

105 

8,508 

305.00 

274.50 

267.00 

240.00 

27.00 

14x20 

60 

5,592 

190.00 

171.00 

181.00 

165.00 

16.00 

14x28 

90 

7,853 

270.00 

243.00 

242.40 

220.00 

22.40 

14x32 

110 

8,883 

310.00 

279.00 

275.60 

250.00 

25.60 

14x40 

150 

11,434 

390.00 

351.00 

352.00 

330.00 

32.00 

16x20 

80 

6,348 

230.00 

207.00 

215.00 

190.00 

25.00 

16x28 

111 

8,917 

310.00 

279.00 

275.00 

250.00 

25.00 

16x32 

130 

10,148 

350.00 

315.00 

305.00 

280.00 

25.00 

16x40 

181 

12,859 

450.00 

405.00 

375.00 

340.00 

35.t)0 

18x20 

100 

7,104 

245.00 

220.50 

235.00 

205.00 

30.00 

18x28 

140 

10,036 

345.00 

310.50 

315.00 

285.00 

30.00 

18x36 

190 

12,850 

445.50 

400.50 

405.00 

370.00 

35.00 

18x40 

220 

14,334 

495.00 

445.50 

450.00 

410.00 

40.00 

20x24 

140 

9,407 

325.00 

292.50 

310.00 

275.00 

35.00 

20x32 

200 

12,675 

445.00 

400.50 

385.00 

350.00 

35.00 

20x36 

235 

14,426 

505.00 

454.50 

440.00 

400.00 

40.00 

20x40 

271 

15,828 

565.00 

508.50 

500.00 

460.00 

40.00 

24x30 

270 

14,875 

540.00 

510.00 

510.00 

450.00 

60.00 

24x34 

330 

16,255 

612.00 

570.00 

570.00 

510.00 

60.00 

24x40 

400 

20,000 

720.00 

660.00 

660.00 

600.00 

60.00 

Silo  prices  include  skeleton  roof-frame  and  each  silo  14  feet 
or  less  in  diameter  is  equipped  with  six  complete  anchors, 
three  long  and  three  short,  also  two  inside  galvanized  iron 
hoops,  one  for  the  top  and  one  for  the  center.  The  anchors 
are  attached  to  the  inside  hoops  by  "U"  bolts;  all  silos  16 
feet  and  larger  in  diameter  are  equipped  with  eight  anchors 
and  two  inside  hoops  described  as  above. 

No.  2  clear  and  better  fir  silos,  either  one  or  two-piece 
staves,  are  not  creosoted.  The  price  of  creosoting  as  given 


SILOS  553 

in  last  column  is  extra  on  that  grade  of  silos  only.  Prices  on 
two-piece  pine  and  two-piece  special  grade  fir  silos  include 
creosoting. 

SILO    ROOFS. 

For  10-ft.  diameter  Silos $15.40  Est.  Weight  190  Ibs. 

For  12-ft.  diameter  Silos 20.00  Est.  Weight  252  Ibs. 

For  14-ft.  diameter  Silos 26.50  Est.  Weight  357  Ibs. 

For  16-ft.  diameter  Silos 30.00  Est.  Weight  413  Ibs. 

For  18-ft.  diameter  Silos 35.50  Est.  Weight  489  Ibs. 

For  20-ft.  diameter  Silos 39.00  Est.  Weight  536  Ibs. 

INSIDE    HOOPS   AND    EXTRA   LOWER   ANCHORS 
COMPLETE  AS   FOLLOWS: 

For  10-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  3  anchors $12.00 

For  12-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  3  anchors 13.00 

For  14-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  3  anchors 14.00 

For  16-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  3  anchors 15.00 

For  18-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  4  anchors 18.50 

For  20-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  4  anchors 20.00 

For  22-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  4  anchors 21.20 

For  24-ft.  diameter  Silos,  2  hoops  and  4  anchors 22.40 

CONCRETE  TANKS. 

Sufficient  data  for  square  or  rectangular  tanks  may  be 
found  on  pages  398,  440-444,  after  adding  the  reinforcement. 

REINFORCEMENT:— This  is  different  for  each  tank,  de- 
pending upon  diameter  and  height,  and  whether  the  tank  is 
on  ground  level,  or  like  a  cistern  with  solid  earth  bracing. 

PROPORTION: — A  1,  2,  4  mixture  has  to  be  used,  for  an 
ordinary  one  would  let  the  water  through. 

A  fair  idea  of  the  cost  of  reinforcement  above  ground  is 
to  allow  for  the  bottom  of  small  tanks,  4'  x  4',  4'  x  6'  and  such 
sizes,  6  cents  per  sq  ft  for  the  floor,  and  for  the  sides  to  the 
depth  of  5'  to  7',  12  cents.  This  allows  for  both  uprights  and 
horizontals.  For  the  bottom  of  a  large  tank,  say  10  ft  in 
diani.  x  15  high,  allow  10  cents  per  sq  ft  for  the  reinforcement, 
and  28  to  30  cents  for  the  10"  walls. 


554 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


The  accompanying  table  from  the  "Concrete  Review"  gives 
the  'standard  size  and  reinforcement  for  tanks  of  various 
capacities  on  top  of  ground.  The  spacing  begins  at  4"  to  8" 
at  the  bottom,  depending  upon  the  tank,  and  widens  out  until 
it  reaches  18"  to  20"  at  the  top,  where  the  water  pressure  is 
less.  The  spacing  is  varied  gradually. 


REINFORCEMENT    TABLE. 


(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

Depth 

Diameter 

Thick- 
ness of 
Concrete 
in  wall 

Diameter 
of  Hori- 
zontal 
Rods 

Spacing 
Horizon- 
tal Rods 
at 
Bottom 

Spacing 
Horizon- 
tal Rods 
at 
Top 

Diameter 
Vertical 
Rods 

Spacing 
Vertical 
Rods 

Feet 

Feet 

Inches 

Inches 

Inches 

Inches 

Inches 

Inches 

5 

5 

6 

i 

8 

18 

I 

36 

5 

10 

6 

6 

12 

30 

10 

10 

8 

1 

6 

18 

& 

36 

10 

15 

9 

1 

4 

18 

| 

36 

15 

10 

10 

1 

4 

18 

| 

30 

15 

15 

12 

I 

6 

20 

f 

30 

A  REINFORCED  TANK  is  often  built  on  the  top  of  a  silo  to 
serve  house  and  stock. 

CONCRETE  STORAGE  CELLAR 

The  popular  size  is  10x14  inside  x  5  high  at  the  walls 
where  the  arch  begins  to  rise,  or  at  the  spring,  as  a  builder 
calls  it;  and  T  8"  in  the  center.  The  roof  is  usually  made 
of  reinforced  concrete. 

Sometimes  these  cellars  are  useful  in  case  of  a  cyclone. 
In  ordinary  times  they  are  used  for  storing  apples,  potatoes 
and  other  vegetables;  milk,  butter,  and  eggs.  The  floor  is 
4"  in  ordinary  soil,  but  may  have  to  be  more  if  soil  is  damp 
or  wet;  the  walls  are  8"  and  the  roof  is  5".  A  set  of  con- 
crete steps  usually  runs  down  at  one  end  with  side  walls, 
or  wings,  to  keep  back  the  earth,  and  support  the  sloping 
door. 


SILOS  555 

A  bill  of  material  for  one  built,  with  labor  and  profit  added, 
of  the  size  given  above  is: 

Crushed  stone,  13  cu  yds  $13.00 

Sand,  G1^  cu  yds 6.50 

Portland  cement,  22  bbls,   $2    44.00 

Reinforcing  rods,  220  Ibs,  3c    6.60 

Ventilators,  sloping  doors,  etc 12.90 

Form   material    20.00 

Complete  labor  on  concrete   50.00 

Excavation,  40  yds  at  20c   8.00 

Profit,  10  per  cent 16.00 


$176.00 

UNIT  COST:— This  is  at  the  rate  of  $1.10  per  sq  ft  for  a 
structure  fit  to  last  a  century  if  well  built.  One  trouble 
with  such  installations  as  small  individual  silos,  tanks,  cis- 
terns, storage  cellars,  etc.,  is  that  contractors  can  not,  as  a 
iule,  take  them  at  the  rate  of  profit  given.  If  they  are 
part  of  a  larger  contract  and  the  men  and  materials  are  on 
xhe  ground,  it  is  altogether  different;  but  no  one  can  go 
miles  to  a  farm  and  take  out  materials,  tools,  and  supplies 
for  any  such  margin.  Farmers  are  doing  much  of  this 
work  themselves  and  giving  costs  in  the  agricultural  journals 
without  labor  or  profit — or  any  liability  insurance  where  the 
laws  are  such  that  a  death  from  one  accident  might  bring 
about  such  a  verdict  as  would  take  the  whole  farm  to  satisfy; 
and  an  injury  might  cost  the  farmer  all  his  stock. 


CHAPTER    XXXVI. 

DEPRECIATION 

On  pages  310-312  there  is  something  said  about  deprecia- 
tion. Since  that  was  written  I  have  had  a  special  experience 
in  estimating  the  fall  in  the  value  of  buildings,  often  accord- 
ing to  their  age,  but  occasionally  due  to  other  causes.  Dur- 
ing the  greater  part  of  1910,  I  valued  practically  all  the  large 
buildings  north  of  the  Platte  River,  and  one  far-spread  group 
to  the  south,  in  Nebraska,  for  the  State  Railway  Commission. 
This  question,  as  always,  gave  more  trouble  than  any  other 
feature  of  the  work. 

I  sent  in  between  five  and  six  million  dollars  worth  of 
appraisals. 

DECAY: — As  noted  on  pages  310  and  313,  there  are  many 
old  historic  buildings  in  Europe,  but  they  are  mostly  of  a 
public  character — structures  built  by  the  Romans,  churches, 
castles,  municipal  halls,  towers,  and  semi-public  mansions. 
Ordinary  houses  even  there  seldom  last  more  than  two  or 
three  centuries.  So  good  a  judge  as  Macaulay,  writing  of 
London  in  his  "Life,"  said  that  when  he  considered  the  fire 
of  1666  and  the  natural  progress  of  demolition  and  rebuilding 
he  doubted  whether  there  were  as  many  as  fifty  dwellings  in 
that  immense  city  dating  as  far  back  as  1550.  He  wrote  in 
1830.  But  up  to  the  time  of  the  fire,  London  was  mostly 
built  of  wood  and  for  that  reason  suffered  like  San  Francisco 
in  1906.  The  same  Macaulay,  however,  found  that  the  build- 
ings in  Rouen  were  older  than  the  London  ones;  and  that 
the  oldest  mansion  in  London  was  modern  as  compared  with 
many  in  Venice  reaching  as  far  back  as  the  year  1400. 

And  frame  houses  well  built  will  endure  for  centuries.  In 
1912,  the  oldest  house  in  the  United  States  was  torn  down, 
as  it  was  considered  unsafe.  It  was  built  in  1618  in  South- 
ampton, N.  Y. 

556 


DEPRECIATION  557 

METHOD: — The  matter  of  the  great  variation  in  the  price 
list  as  shown  in  the  chapter  on  "Physical  Valuation,  General 
Principles,"  £eing  understood  and  remembered,  there  are 
two  methods  of  finding  values  and  depreciating — one  to 
allow  a  certain  number  of  years  for  the  life  of  a  group  of 
buildings,  classified  according  to  their  nature,  or  freight-cars, 
engines,  or  anything  else,  and  to  make  a  "mortuary"  table, 
averaging  the  value  according  to  the  years  of  service;  and 
the  other,  to  inspect  each  structure  or  car  individually  to 
ascertain  its  value.  For  cars,  passenger-coaches,  engines, 
etc..  the  individual  method  is  rather  impracticable,  although 
it  is  carried  out  with  40,000  freight-cars  in  the  Michigan  val- 
uation. For  such  work,  and  for  ordinary  standard  buildings, 
the  average  age  method  of  a  table  is  preferable,  and  less 
costly  than  the  other,  although  the  appreciation  in  prices 
must  be  first  applied.  Apart  from  this  ordinary  classifica- 
tion, each  building  should  be  examined,  estimated  in  detail, 
and  the  depreciation  settled  both  from  age  and  condition. 
LIMIT: — In  the  course  of  my  work  in  Nebraska,  I  ran  across 
only  one  individual  building  that  is  likely  to  stand  for  a 
century,  according  to  the  opinion  of  the  architect  and  my 
own,  but  considered  with  reference  to  accommodation,  it  is 
likely  to  be  worthless  long  before  that.  But  a  group  of  stone 
shops  with  extra  heavy  walls  was  set  at  a  life  period  of  a 
century.  Still  another  group  (two  are  shown  in  figures  7 
and  14  of  this  book)  was  so  built  with  pile  and  concrete 
foundations  and  steel  superstructure  that  a  life  period  of  100 
years  would  have  been  reasonable,  except  for  the  fact  that 
the  brick  work  and  other  subordinate  features  would  not 
last  half  that  time. 

CONTRAST: — Herein  lies  another  trouble  with  depreciating 
buildings:  In  a  case  where  a  heavy  concrete  and  pile  found- 
ation goes  down,  an  allowance  of  1  per  cent  would  be  ample, 
for  such  foundations  last  for  centuries,  but  the  superstructure 
may  have  to  be  set  at  a  life  of  40  or  50  years.  Each  case 
has  to  be  considered  on  its  own  merits;  and  a  table  does 
not  do  justice  to  all  structures,  nor  an  average  always  suit. 


558  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SUITABILITY: — There  is  another  feature  in  railroad  valua- 
tions that  make  them  differ  from  such  as  the  Cleveland  one, 
for  example,  where  400  people  were  engaged;  Perhaps  a 
certain  class  of  shops  or  stations,  if  considered  merely  as 
separate  structures  under  our  present  conditions  of  use  and 
population  might  last  for  a  century,  but  who  will  guarantee 
that  the  runways  for  the  traveling  cranes  of  a  shop,  or  the 
turntables  in  the  yards  will  be  sufficient  for  the  engines  in 
use  in  coming  years?  Or  that  the  population  of  a  city  will 
not  be  multiplied  several  times  over,  just  as  Vancouver  grew 
from  55,000  in  1906  to  150,000  in  1911? 

The  ordinary  locomotive  weighs,  say,  100  tons;  but  in  1910 
the  Santa  Fe  road  exhibited  one  weighing  420  all  through 
the  southwest,  or  at  least  where  bridges  would  carry  it 
on  the  main  line.  Bridges,  runways,  turntables,  might  be 
set  at  the  longest  life  period  so  far  as  concerned  the  use  for 
which  they  were  designed,  but  they  are  useless  for  the  new 
conditions.  What  value  will  be  set  on  them?  Salvage 
value?  It  all  depends  upon  what  the  expert  wants  to  prove. 

The  Grand  Central  station,  New  York,  was  taken  down 
long  before  the  end  of  its  natural  life  period,  and  this  is  but 
the  history  of  hundreds  of  valuable  railroad  structures.  On 
what  basis,  then,  shall  the  life  period  be  set?  And  if  a  rail- 
road in  a  physical  valuation  is  to  be  allowed  the  value  of 
improvements  necessarily  thrown  aside  by  new  inventions  or 
increase  of  population,  why  should  not  the  theory  be  applied 
in  other  fields?  Many  a  man  loses  his  whole  investment 
of  trade  or  professional  skill  through  a  new  invention.  In 
1911,  thousands  of  actors  were  deprived  of  their  living  on 
account  of  moving  picture  theatres;  the  linotype  displaced 
printers  by  the  carload,  and  in  a  score  of  lines,  year  after 
year,  men  and  women  are  suffering  the  loss  of  their  invest- 
ments in  certain  callings  through  the  work  of  the  inventor. 
Are  investors  in  railroad  securities  to  be  held  safe  through 
this  class  of  depreciation?  If  the  monorail  should  come,  as- 
the  flying  machine  has,  who  is  to  pay  for  the  slump  in 
values  ? 


DEPRECIATION  559 

Railroads  have  been  practically  reconstructed,  so  far  as  the 
main  lines  are  concerned,  since  the  end  of  the  last  century, 
and  in  some  cities  tracks  have  been  raised  and  electrified. 
In  the  building  field  only  stations  and  old  shops  have  had  to 
give  way  to  new;  and  engine-houses  have  had  to  be  extended 
or  taken  down.  In  the  motive  power  department  the  dis- 
covery of  high  speed  steel  cutting  made  old  machines  worth- 
less. Far  heavier  ones  were  required  to  stand  the  pressure. 
So  on  in  every  department.  New  tracks,  bridges,  buildings, 
equipment,  etc.,  have  been  required;  but  all  through,  the  old 
would  not  have  been  discarded  unless  the  new  had  held  out 
the  certainty  of  better  returns. 

I  once  put  up  a  building  where  the  heating  plant  did  not 
work.  It  was  taken  out  and  $10,000  put  into  a  steam  system. 
In  making  a  valuation  of  the  building  would  the  owners  have 
been  credited  with  the  value  of  the  old  plant?  certainly  not. 
They  would  have  had  their  building  valued  according  to  what 
it  would  have  cost  to  reproduce  it. 

IMPORTANCE: — The  question  of  depreciation  is  vital  in  any 
physical  valuation.  Suppose  half  a  dozen  good  contractors 
agree  that  it  would  cost  $100,000  to  reproduce  a  certain 
building  at  current  rates,  but  that  it  was  20  years  old,  how 
much  would  it  be  worth?  Three  of  them  might  set  a  life- 
time at  40  years,  and  the  other  three  at  50.  In  the  one  case 
there  would  be  an  annual  depreciation  of  21/&  per  cent,  to 
deduct,  and  in  the  other  2.  Yet  this  would  make  one  figure 
$50,000  and  the  other  $60,000.  What  does  the  most  exact 
detailed  estimate  amount  to  when  there  might  honestly  be 
such  a  great  difference  over  the  one  factor  that  practically 
decides  the  amount?  There  is  so  much  room  for  an  honest 
and  a  dishonest  difference  of  opinion  on  this  question  of 
depreciation  in  buildings,  bridges,  tracks,  and  rolling  stock 
of  a  railroad  that,  at  its  best  or  worst,  a  physical  valuation 
is  but  a  drawn  battle. 

METHOD:— In  the  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  valuations  of 
railroads,  the  individual  method  was  followed,  and  each 
structure,  engine,  or  car,  valued  and  depreciated  according 


560  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  condition;  in  the  Washington  valuation  the  original 
records  were  dug  up,  or  the  date  of  building  or  purchase 
ascertained  and  the  depreciation  done  according  to  a 
mortality  table.  A  part  of  the  Washington  report  says: 

"It  is  a  well-established  fact  that  a  freight-car  has  a  useful 
life  exceeding  20  or  25  years.  If  the  average  car  has  a  life 
of  25  years,  it  loses  4  per  cent,  of  its  life  every  year.  Hence 
by  multiplying  its  age  in  years  by  4  per  cent,  its  lost  life 
or  depreciation  is  accurately  ascertained;  and,  by  subtract- 
ing this  depreciation  from  100,  the  remainder  will  give  its 
'present  value'  expressed  as  a  percentage  of  its  value  new." 

"If  practically  all  the  structures  shown  in  the  accounting 
records  are  still  in  existence,  and  the  money  expended  each 
year  for  each  class  of  structure  is  known,  it  is  a  very  simple 
matter  to  figure  the  average  age  of  the  money  invested  in 
estimating  the  present  value.  To  illustrate,  suppose  there 
are  a  number  of  station  buildings  in  existence,  whose  age 
is  not  known.  Suppose,  however,  that  $10,500  was  spent  for 
such  buildings  in  1896,  $20,000  in  1900,  and  $5,000  in  1902. 
Then,  in  1906,  the  average  age  of  the  money  invested  in  these 
buildings  is  ascertained  thus: 

$10,500x10   years=    $105,000  one  year 

$20,000x6  years= 120,000  one  year 

$5,000x4  years= 20,000  one  year 

"This  gives  a  total  of  $35,500  invested  in  7  years;  for 
$245,000  divided  by  $35,500  gives  7  years  approximately. 

"The  rule  to  be  followed  in  all  such  cases  is  to  multiply 
the  money  expended  each  year  for  structures  of  a  given  class 
by  the  age  in  years,  add  all  these  products  together,  and 
divide  by  the  total  cost  of  all  the  structures  under  consider- 
ation. The  quotient  is  the  average  age  of  all  of  the  struc- 
tures, or,  more  strictly  speaking,  the  average  age  of  the 
money  invested  in  the  structures.  If  some  of  the  structures 
are  no  longer  in  existence,  this  method  can  still  be  applied. 
Take  railway  crossties,  for  example.  Ascertain  the  total 
value  of  crossties  in  the  track,  then  go  back  through  the 


DEPRECIATION  561 

records  of  the  tie  renewals,  by  years,  until  the  total  cost  of 
renewals  adds  up  to  the  total  value  of  ties  now  in  the  track. 
Then  compute  the  average  age  as  above  shown.  If  the  price 
of  ties  has  fluctuated,  ascertain  the  actual  price  paid,  and 
reduce  all  yearly  expenditures  for  renewals  to  the  present 
price." 

APPRECIATION: — On  a  railroad  track  for  four  or  five  years 
after  it  is  built,  there  is  a  betterment  owing  to  the  "season- 
ing," or  to  what  has  been  given  the  high-sounding  name  of 
Adaptation  and  Solidification.  There  is  an  appreciation  of 
about  10  per  cent,  instead  of  a  depreciation,  as  the  road 
settles  down  and  all  the  minor  defects  are  put  to  rights;  but 
this  does  not  apply  to  buildings.  If  a  building  cracks,  there 
is  usually  no  way  of  making  it  as  good  as  new,  and  the  rate 
of  depreciation  has  to  be  raised.  On  a  grain  elevator 
alluded  to  on  page  304,  a  special  depreciation  of  $20,000  was 
made  in  addition  to  the  regular  one,  on  account  of  a  settle- 
ment that  made  the  structure  lean  15"  out  of  plumb.  Some 
buildings  have  such  special  defects  that  a  depreciation  of  10 
per  cent,  per  annum  has  to  be  used. 

The  Nebraska  table  is  given  in  the  following  pages.  It 
is  only  an  approximate  guide.  Some  of  the  building  rates 
are  too  high. 

DEPRECIATION  TABLES 

PHYSICAL   VALUATION    OF    RAILROADS 

Nebraska  Depreciation  Table 

Minimum  Depreciation 
usable  value          rate 
Item  d  of  new      per  annum. 

1.  Right  of  Way  and  Station  Grounds   . .     100 

2.  Real    Estate     100 

3.  Grading    . . ....  *. 100 

4.  Tunnels 

Wooden    liafcig    .05 

Brick  lining   .02^ 

Stone  and  concrete  lining .02 


562  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

5.  Bridges 

Steel  for  main  line  service   33%  .02 

Steel  for  branch  line  service  20  .02 

Steel  salvage  %c  per  Ib 

Concrete  and  stone   .02 

Pile  and  timber  trestles  and  wooden 

trusses 20 

For  main  line .12% 

For  branch  line    -03% 

Timber  salvage  $7.50  per  M  ft  B.  M. 

Culverts    20 

Wooden  Box  .10 

Cast  iron  pipe   .02 

Vitrified  pipe   .05 

Cement  pipe  .02 

Concrete  and  stone .02 

6.  Ties — Cross    (In    all    old    track    deter- 

mine by  inspection) 
For  new  track 

Estimated 
average  life 

Oak   (white)  12  yrs .08% 

Oak    (mixed)  7  yrs .143-10 

Fir  and  pine  6  yrs .16% 

Cedar  12  yrs .08% 

Tamarac  8  yrs .12% 

Hemlock  6  yrs .16% 

Cypress  6  yrs .16% 

Treated— all    kinds    12  yrs .08% 

All  old  side  tracks    . .  25  yrs 

Switch  (In  all  old  track  determine  by 

inspection). 

For  new  track  ditto  as  for  cross  ties 

NOTE: — Above  depreciation  of  ties  to  apply  in  earth  and 
poor  grade  of  ballast.  Where  ties  exist  in  good  stone  bal- 
last increase  the  life  of  tie  1-5,  decreasing  annual  deprecia- 
tion rate  proportionately. 


DEPRECIATION  563 

7.  Rail— Estimated    average    life    38    4-10 

years     33%  .026 

Salvage  $10  per  ton. 

NOTE: — Above  depreciation  of  rail  is  considered  only  under 
a  proper  balanced  condition  of  traffic  and  use.  Misused  rail 
as  per  special  instructions. 

8.  Frogs  and  switches   33% 

Stands     and     guard     rail — conditions 

same  as  attending  rail. 

Frogs    .039 

Split  points  and  attachments  .052 

Crossings — Determine   by  inspection. 

Salvage,  $10  per  ton. 

9.  Track    fastenings    33% 

Base   plates,   tie    plates,    angle    bars, 

rail    braces    and    bumping    posts, 

condition  same  as  attending  rail  .026 

Salvage,  $10  per  ton. 

Spikes      .08% 

Bolts  and  nut  locks  .05 

10.  Ballast   25 

Cinders  and  sand  .15 

Crushed  stone  and  granite .02 

Gravel  and  burned  clay  (Nebraska  and 

similiar  products)   .05 

NOTE: — This  treatment  of  ballast  only  to  be  considered  un- 
der proper  balanced  conditions  of  construction.  Otherwise 
as  per  special  instructions  from  investigation. 

11.  Tracklaying  and  surfacing  100 

12.  Roadway    tools     33% 

Hand    cars .07 

Section   men's   tools    (average) .12% 

Salvage  of  metal,   %c  per  Ib. 


564  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

13.  Fencing — Right  of  Way   20 

Wooden  fencing   entire    .06% 

Wooden   posts — wire    panels    .05 

Cement  and  iron  posts — wire  panels  .04% 

14.  Crossings  and  signs   20 

Crossing  plank    .25 

Roadway  signs — posts  and  boards  . .  .08% 

15.  Interlocking  and  other  signal  apparatus 

— average     33%  .05 

Salvage  value  5^  of  new. 

16.  Telegraph  and  telephone  lines   20 

Poles  and  pole  attachments  .05 

Wire    .04 

Instruments 

Telegraph  (salvage  val.  15^  of  new)  .04 

Telephone  (salvage  val.  8^  of  new)  .OS1/-* 

Switch  boards   (salvage  val.  10^  of 
new)    .04 

Battery    33% 

17.  Station  buildings  and  fixtures  20 

Wooden  frame  buildings .03 

Brick   (salvage  material  only  8^) ...  .02% 
Concrete  and  stone   (salvage  material 

only  8^) .02 

Steel  frame,  brick  and  stone  (salvage 

material  only  10^)  .02 

18.  General  office  buildings  and   fixtures — 

treat  same  as  item  17. 

19.  Shops,  engine  houses  and  turntables: 

Buildings — treat  same  as  17  above. 

Turntables     20 

Combination  steel,  iron  and  wood. . . .  .05 

Steel    .04 

Salvage  of  all  metal  %c  per  Ib 


DEPRECIATION  565 

20.  Shop  Machinery  and  Tools  33% 

Machinery     .05 

Tools     .x.  .75 

Salvage  of  all  metal  %c  per  Ib 

21.  Water  stations. 

Pump  house  machinery     33%  .05 

Buildings  treat  same  as  item  17  above 

Water  tanks 

Wooden    20  .05 

Steel— including  water  softeners   . .     20  .03 

Galvanized  iron  20  .10 

Wind    mills    33%  .12% 

Salvage,  value  all  metal  %c  per  Ib. 

22.  Fuel  stations 

Wooden   structures    20  .03% 

Steel    structures     20  .03% 

Machinery  in  above    33% 

Salvage  value  all  metal  %c  per  Ib. 

23.  Grain  elevators — treat  same  as  item  17 

above. 

24.  Storage    Warehouses  —  treat    same    as 

item  17  above. 

25.  Dock  and  wharf — not  treated. 

26.  Electric  light  plants  30 

Boiler  plant   .05 

Engine  and  dynamo   .08% 

Incidental   apparatus     .08% 

Salvage  value  10^  of  new. 

27.  Electric   power  plants    30 

Boiler  plant    .05 

Engine  and  dynamo   .08% 

Incidental  apparatus     .08% 

Salvage  value  10^  of  new. 


506  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

28.  Electric  power  transmission   30 

Pole  and  wire  attachments  .05 

Wire  and  cable  (salvage  value  33  1-3^ 

of  new) .05 

29.  Gas  producing  plants — not  treated. 

30.  Miscellaneous  structures. 

Buildings — treat  same  as  item  17  above 

Wooden    platforms    20  .08% 

Cement  platforms  and  walks   20  .03 

Brick  platforms  and  walks   20  .03 

Concrete  and  stone  curbing  20  .03 

Wooden  curbing   .05 

Cinder  and  gravel  platforms  and  walks  20 

No  Curbing .04% 

Wooden   curbing     -  V  -08% 

Stock  yards  fence   20  .06% 

Stock  scales     20  .06% 

Salvage  value  all  metal  %c  per  Ib. 

31.  Adaptation  and  solidification  of  roadway  100 
o2.     Engineering  and  superintendence   100 

33.  Steam  locomotives — including   tanks...     25  .04 

Salvage  value  5%</  of  new. 
j° 

NOTE: — Special  treatment  should  be  made  of  this  item  con- 
sidering wooden  frame  vs.  steel  frame  of  tanks. 

34.  Electric  locomotives — not  treated. 

35.  Passenger  cars  25  .04 

Express,    baggage   and    mail    (salvage 

value  8rf  of  new). 
Coach  and  chair  cars   (salvage  value 

6^  of  new). 

36.  Freight  cars  (salvage  value  20^  of  new)     20  .05% 


DEPRECIATION  567 

37.     Work  equipment 

New  equipment  (salvage  val.  e1/^  of 

new) 25  .05 

Built  up  equipment  (salvage  value  20^ 

of  new)    25  .06*4 

58.     Rent  and   repairs  of  equipment  during 

construction     100 

39.  Inspection  and  purchase  of  equipment  .  100 

40.  Transportation  of  material 100 

41.  Stores  and  supplies  for  Nebraska 

New     100 

Not  new — treat    as    under    its    proper 
class  as  hereinabove  provided. 

42.  General  expenditures   100 

ANOTHER  THEORY:— After  much  is  said  and  done  on  the 
theory  of  depreciation,  and  the  one  set  of  experts  are  agreed, 
another  comes  forward  and  says  that  there  is  no  such  thing 
as  depreciation  in  the  physical  property  of  a  railroad — own- 
ers of  ordinary  buildings  might  wish  they  could  say  the  same 
of  their  investments.  To  quote  the  Minnesota  Report,  dis- 
senting from  this  view: 

"The  opinion  is  entertained  by  some  that  there  is  no  de- 
preciation in  the  physical  properties  of  a  railroad,  but  that 
as  a  working  tool,  its  efficiency,  as  maintained,  is  at  all 
times  the  equivalent  of  the  new,  and  that  a  specific  facility 
is  in  some  instances  worth  less  than  its  reproduction  cost, 
only  because  in  the  progress  of  time  and  development  it  has 
become  inadequate  for  the  purposes  required  of  it;  and  again 
it  is  expressed  that  an  old  road  through  thorough  main- 
tenance and  for  other  numerous  and  good  reasons,  is  more 
serviceable  and  valuable  than  a  new  road. 

"It  is  entirely  tenable  that  the  value  of  an  economically 
constructed,  judiciously  financed,  and  efficiently  managed 


568  THE     NEW     BUILDING    ESTIMATOR 

railroad  property,  or  the  contra  thereof,  is  not  measured  by 
its  cost,  and,  for  the  instant,  it  seems  necessary  to  recur  to 
the  elementary  that  cost  and  value  are  not  synonymous,  and 
that  the  determination  of  the  present  value  of  the  physical 
properties,  using  reproduction  cost  as  a  basis,  bears  no 
relation  to  value  in  the  sense  of  utility,  or  as  an  investment." 

The  Washington  Report  says:  "The  commission  con- 
cluded that  on  an  established  road,  maintained  to  a  proper 
standard  of  efficiency,  there  would  be  no  continuing  depreci- 
ation; that  on  a  newly  constructed  line  there  would  be  a  rapid 
depreciation  of  certain  elements  during  the  first  few  years. 
This  would  apply  particularly  to  ties,  and,  in  a  lesser  degree, 
to  wooden  structures  and  equipment.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  would  be  an  appreciation  of  roadbed  on  a  new  line, 
due  to  the  seasoning  and  hardening  which  follows  its  use.  .  . 
Such  appreciated  value  of  roadbed  would  largely  offset  the 
depreciation  of  the  value  of  the  other  items.  .  .  .  But  the 
depreciated  value  of  a  road  in  profitable  operation  does  not 
equal  its  market  value.  To  this  depreciated  value  must  be 
added  a  sufficient  amount  to  cover  the  enhanced  value  due 
to  building  up  a  successful  transportation  business."  One  of 
the  Washington  roads  was  put  at  a  market  value  of  only 
half  its  depreciated  physical  valuation.  It  was  considered 
a  bad  investment. 

The  depreciation  tables  used  in  the  Cleveland  valuation 
are  given  herewith: 


DEPRECIATION 


569 


DEPRECIATION    TABLES 
Store  Buildings  and  Dwellings 

(NOTE: — The  percentage  of  depreciation  is  given  under 
Good,  Fair,  Bad,  as  to  quality  of  buildings.) 


BRICK 


Years 
1 
2 
3 

5 
6 

8 
9 
10 
11 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 
33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 
41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 
47 
48 
49 
50 


Good 
2 
4 
6 
8 
10 
12 
13 
14 
16 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
25 
26 
26 
27 
27 
28 
28 
29 
29 
30 
30 
31 
31 
32 
32 
33 
33 
33 
34 
34 
34 
35 
36 
36 
37 
37 
38 
38 
39 
39 
40 
40 


Fair 

3 

5 

8 
10 
12 
13 
15 
17 
18 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 
27 
28 
29 
30 
30 
31 
32 
32 
33 
34 
34 
35 
35 
36 
36 
37 
37 
38 
38 
39 
40 
40 
41 
41 
42 
42 
43 
43 
44 
44 
45 
46 
46 
47 


Bad 

6 

11 

15 
18 
21 
24 
27 
29 
32 
34 
36 
38 
40 
41 
43 
45 
46 
47 
49 
50 
51 
53 
54 
55 
56 
57 
57 
58 
59 
60 
31 
61 
61 
63 
64 
65 
65 
66 
67 
38 
68 
69 
70 
71 
72 
72 
73 
74 
75 
75 


FRAME 

Years 

Good 

Fair 

Bad 

1 

3 

4 

10 

2 

6 

7 

17 

3 

8 

10 

23 

4 

10 

12 

27 

5 

13 

15 

31 

6 

15 

17 

34 

7 

13 

15 

27 

8 

18 

21 

40 

9 

20 

23 

42 

10 

22 

25 

45 

11 

23 

26 

47 

12 

25 

28 

49 

13 

26 

30 

51 

14 

28 

31 

5S 

15 

29 

32 

55 

16 

30 

34 

57 

17 

31 

35 

58 

18 

32 

36 

60 

19 

33 

37 

61 

20 

34 

38 

63 

21 

34 

30 

65 

22 

35 

40 

66 

23 

36 

41 

68 

24 

37 

42 

69 

25 

37 

43 

71 

26 

38 

44 

72 

27 

39 

45 

74 

28 

39 

46 

75 

29 

40 

47 

79 

30 

41 

48 

80 

31 

41 

48 

80 

32 

42 

49 

82 

33 

42 

50 

83 

34 

43 

51 

85 

35 

43 

52 

86 

36 

44 

53 

88 

37 

45 

53 

90 

38 

45 

54 

91 

39 

46 

55 

93 

40 

46 

56 

95 

41 

47 

57 

42 

47 

59 

43 

48 

59 

44 

48 

59 

45 

49 

60 

46 

50 

61 

47 

50 

61 

48 

51 

63 

49 

51 

64 

no 

52 

64 

570  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

OFFICE  BUILDINGS. 
First  Class,  Steel  Frame. 

Years        Depreciation  Years  Depreciation 

1  2$  14        16£ 

2  4  15         16 
36  16         17 
4          7                17         18 
58  18         19 

6  10  19  19 

7  10  20  20 

8  12  21  20 

9  13  22  21 

10  13  23  21 

11  14  24  22 

12  15  25  22 

13  15 

In  addition  to  this  depreciation  on  individual  buildings 
there  was  often  a  special  depreciation  in  Cleveland  used  for 
locations  that  had  become  undesirable  for  their  original  pur- 
pose, etc.;  and  there  was  usually  a  discount  of  10  per  cent, 
on  residence  property  facing  street-car  lines. 

NO  ALLOWANCE: — This  question  of  depreciation  is  seldom 
understood  or  attended  to  by  the  average  citizen  when  build- 
ing for  investment.  He  gets  a  rent  that  may  return  10  per 
cent,  per  annum  on  the  cost  of  the  property,  but  there  are 
several  items  to  be  deducted  before  the  net  income  is  found. 
One  of  these  items  is  depreciation. 

Disregarding  the  value  of  the  lot,  which  may  increase  or 
decrease  in  value,  or  be  leased,  let  us  consider  a  case  where 
a  $5000  house  brings  in  $40  per  month,  and  that  a  deduction 
has  been  made  for  the  lease  or  return  for  the  lot,  leaving  the 
$40  for  the  building  proper.  Rental  agencies  usually  calcu- 
late one  month  per  annum  for  vacancies,  and  there  are  also 
insurance,  taxes  and  repairs  to  consider.  A  depreciation  of 
l1/^  per  cent,  per  annum  cuts  off  $75,  or  practically  $6  per 
month.  The  net  amount  is  really  only  $34.  If  depreciation 
is  not  allowed  there  will  be  nothing  to  show  at  the  end  of 
the  66%  years.  There  will  thus  be  a  dead  loss  of  $5000. 
The  answer  to  that  is  that  few  of  us  look  forward  66% 
years.  We  may  take  more  thought  for  the  morrow  than  we 
should,  but  not  such  a  long  look  ahead  as  two  generations. 


CHAPTER   XXXVII. 

PHYSICAL  VALUATION.     GENERAL    PRINCIPLES. 

In  constructing  large  buildings  a  double  ladder  is  often 
made.  It  is  wide  enough  for  one  man  to  go  up  while  another 
is  coming  down. 

If  A.  stands  at  the  foot  of  this  ladder  on  the  first  floor,  and 
B.  at  the  top  on  the  second,  and  each  begins  to  use  it,  it  is 
clear  that  if  A.  takes  two  steps  while  B.  takes  only  one  he 
will  be  on  the  second  floor  at  the  time  when  his  slower 
brother  is  but  half-way  down. 

RISE  AND  FALL: — In  this  illustration  A.  stands  for  an  ap- 
preciation made  by  a  rise  in  prices,  and  B.  for  a  deprecia- 
tion caused  by  the  law  of  natural  decay.  There  is  no  fixed 
proportion  as  is  indicated  above,  and,  indeed,  when  prices 
are  falling  the  operation  of  the  law  is  totally  changed.  The 
depreciation  would  not  be  offset  by  any  rise  in  the  price  list, 
and  B.  would  reach  his  floor,  while  A.  would  have  to  remain 
stationary  or  descend  into  the  cellar.  But  the  principle  of  the 
forces  working  against  each  other  holds  on  a  rising  market. 
Owing  to  change  in  prices  the  physical  valuation  made  the 
one  year  has  to  be  revised  the  next,  no  matter  how  carefully 
it  is  done.  Everyone  engaged  in  this  kind  of  work  should 
understand  the  causes  that  make  careful  computations  out 
of  date  almost  before  they  are  summarized. 

UNIT: — Of  course  a  structure  in  itself  does  not  become  more 
valuable,  but  goes  down  hill  from  the  day  it  is  built.  When 
we  say  that  the  $8000  house  is  worth  $8300  the  year  after 
construction,  all  we  mean  is  that  wages  and  material  have 
risen  in  price,  and  that  we  are  regarding  the  dollar  value 
only. 

There  may  be  some  causes  at  work  that  seem  to  make 
buildings  more  valuable,  as  value  is  expressed  in  dollars,  but 
this  appreciation  does  not  hold  when  a  comparison  is  made 

571 


572  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

with  other  structures  or  commodities,  One  building  worth 
40,  or  any  other,  percentage  of  another  still  retains  that  rela- 
tion regardless  of  whether  prices  are  high  or  low. 

HIGH  PRICES: — For  an  illustration  of  a  period  that  was 
marked  by  a  rise  in  prices,  but  that  yet  left  structures  on  the 
same  relative  plane  of  values,  we  have  the  21  years  ending 
in  1910.  The  price  of  building  materials  rose,  and  so  did  the 
wages  of  mechanics.  For  the  best  class  of  fireproof  struc- 
tures, so  built  as  to  last,  say,  a  couple  of  centuries,  the  dollar 
value  was  greater  in  1910  than  in  the  low  price  year  of  1897. 
Lumber  and  building  materials  which  were  then  listed  at  94 
were  196  in  1910;  and  wages  had  also  gone  up,  although  not 
in  the  same  proportion.  The  half  of  one  per  cent,  of  depre- 
ciation in  a  structure  fit  to  last  for  two  hundred  years  was 
made  up,  so  far  as  is  expressed  in  dollars,  by  the  general  rise 
in  prices.  It  is,  therefore,  not  a  safe  guide  to  go  to  the  books 
of  a  company  or  individual  to  find  out  the  original  cost  of  im- 
provements, and  work  solely  from  that  basis  on  any  ordi- 
nary theory  of  depreciation  to  get  present  valuation. 

The  period  from  1890  to  1910  shows  that  book  values  have 
been  rendered  worthless  owing  to  the  change  in  prices.  If 
a  detailed  estimate  is  made  of  a  structure  at  current  rates, 
that  is  another  matter. 

DATA: — We  are  helped  considerably  in  this  investigation  by 
the  publication  of  a  Bulletin  of  the  Bureau  of  Labor,  from 
the  Department  of  Commerce  and  Labor,  Washington,  D.  C. 
This  Report  is  so  thorough  that  it  is  unnecessary  to  go  be- 
yond it  for  data.  It  was  issued  in  March,  1911.  In  it  there 
are  200  pages  taken  up  with  the  wholesale  prices  of  257  lead- 
ing commodities  from  1890  to  1910  inclusive. 

A  summary  of  the  conclusions  of  the  Department  is  that 
"Wholesale  prices  during  1910  were  19.1  per  cent,  higher 
than,  in  1900;  46.7  per  cent,  higher  than  in  1897,  the  year  of 
lowest  prices  in  the  21-year  period  from  1890  to  1910;  16.6 
per  cent,  higher  than  in  1890;  and  31.6  per  cent,  higher  than 
the  average  price  for  the  10  years  1890  to  1899." 


PHYSICAL   VALUATION — GENERAL    PRINCIPLES         573 

"Wholesale  prices  in  March,  1910,  were  higher  than  at  any 
time  in  the  preceding  21  years,  being  10.2  per  cent,  higher 
than  in  August,  1908,  7.5  per  cent,  higher  than  in  March, 
1909,  21.1  per  cent,  higher  than  the  average  yearly  price  of 
1900,  and  49.2  per  cent,  higher  than  the  average  yearly  price 
of  1897." 

In  the  face  of  such  forked  lightning  changes  the  best  phy- 
sical valuation  that  was  ever  made  is  good  only  for  the 
month  it  was  finished,  and  a  year  from  date  may  be  entirely 
obsolete.  Before  beginning  depreciation  the  reproduction 
value  must  be  first  established. 

"Comparing  1910  with  1909,"  continues  the  Bulletin,  "the 
group  of  commodities  showing  the  greatest  increase  in  prices 
was  lumber  and  building  materials,  the  increase  in  the  group 
as  a  whole  being  10.7  per  cent." 

RISE: — In  the  building  material  group  there  are  28  items 
listed.  In  1910,  therefore,  so  much  of  these  materials  as  had 
been  put  in  place  in  a  structure  in  1909  were  worth  practi- 
cally 10  per  cent.  more.  Even  admitting  the  accuracy  of  the 
depreciation  table  given  on  page  311  of  the  "Estimator,"  we 
find  that  sheathing,  for  example,  is  allowed  a  life  of  50  years, 
or  a  depreciation  of  2  per  cent,  per  annum.  Assuming  that 
the  cost  was  $25  per  M,  the  fall  during  the  year  1909-1910  on 
100,000  ft.  B.  M.  would  be  $50;  but  the  increase  would  amount 
to  $250.  Carried  all  through  a  large  building  a  percentage 
like  this  amounts  to  a  substantial  figure.  The  depreciation 
is  more  than  blotted  out  by  the  appreciation  in  prices  of  ma- 
terials, and  if  wages  have  risen  also,  the  case  is  even  more 
pronounced. 

Sometimes,  however,  commodities  that  used  to  be  brought 
long  distances,  or  even  imported  from  another  country  are 
lowered  in  price  by  being  manufactured  where  required. 
Pressed  brick  are  cheaper  in  many  parts  of  the  country 
than  they  were  in  1900,  for  example;  and  Portland  cement 
that  once  sold  for  $3.50  from  Germany,  or  England,  may  be 
had  for  half  the  price. 


574 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


RELATIVE  PRICES  OF  ALL  COMMODITIES,  1890  TO  1910. 
[Average  for  1890  to  1899=100.0.] 


RfUTM 

micfs 

100  1691  1892  1893  1894  1895  1896  1897  !89tl699  f900  1961  IWi  I9&  1964-  OK  t96C  I90J  1966  1969  1910 

134 
132 
130 
128 
126 
124- 
122 
120 
118 
116 
114. 
112 

no. 

108 
106 
104. 
102 
100 
96 
96 
94 
92 
90 
86 

/ 

/ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

/ 

\ 

7 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

1 

\ 

/ 

^ 

/ 

/ 

/ 

/ 

/ 

/ 

; 

/ 

^*> 

^^^^ 

/ 

X, 

i 

1 

\ 

1 

\ 

f 

\ 

1 

\ 

1 

\ 

\ 

I 

I 

i 

I 

\ 

I 

\ 

y 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

/ 

s 

/ 

5 

/ 

^ 

\ 

/ 

\ 

/ 

^^ 

/ 

PHYSICAL   VALUATION GENERAL    PRINCIPLES         575 

WAGES,  ETC.:— The  accompanying  table  from  page  319  of 
the  Bulletin  tells  the  story  of  the  general  rise  in  prices  for 
the  21  years.  As  a  matter  of  arithmetic,  all  wages,  salaries, 
rents,  pensions,  income  from  bonds,  interest  accounts  from 
savings  banks,  etc.,  should  have  risen  in  the  same  propor- 
tion, in  order  that  those  drawing  them  should  be  able  to  buy 
the  same  quantities  of  the  257  commodities  listed  by  the 
government  Bulletin.  The  units  to  be  considered  are  Things 
to  be  purchased,  and  not  Dollars.  The  reproduction  value  of 
a  building  has  to  be  expressed  in  Things — lumber,  iron, 
paint,  glass,  hardware,  plaster — before  we  begin  to  even  think 
of  depreciation. 

Many  of  the  great  strikes  that  have  vexed  this  country, 
and  European  countries,  have  simply  been  the  outbursts  of 
men  and  women  who  could  not  get  the  same  allowance  of 
Things  that  their  incomes  formerly  provided.  The  materials 
for  a  house,  for  example,  cost  far  more  than  they  used  to. 
Boards  listed  in  the  government  table  at  98.1  in  1890,  and  at 
90.6  in  1898,  are  140.3  in  1903  and  200.1  in  1910.  The  wages 
or  income  would  have  to  be  more  than  twice  as  much  in  1910 
as  in  1890  to  get  the  same  number  of  feet  of  boards  for  a 
cottage. 

A  general  view  of  the  rise  in  building  material  for  the  21 
years  is  given  in  the  accompanying  table  taken  from  page 
322  of  the  Bulletin;  and  an  average  basis  for  each  year  from 
1900  to  1910  in  the  list  from  page  328. 

The  reason  why  so  many  fail  to  grasp  the  underlying  prin- 
ciple of  fluctuating  values  is  that  they  assume  the  monetary 
standard  to  be  fixed.  Instead  of  being  a  "constant,"  how- 
ever, it  is  a  "variable,"  just  like  potatoes  or  boards.  Gold 
buys  brick,  but  brick  and  steel  beams  buy  gold.  A  great 
flood  of  gold  would  change  all  our  physical  valuations.  For 
this  reason  it  is  commonly  agreed  among  the  authorities  of 
all  nations  that  a  commodity  basis  is  the  best  one  for  a  cur- 
rency. But  it  is  hard  to  get  one,  and  we  have  to  keep  to 
gold  and  watch  it  rise  and  fall. 


576 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 
PRICES  OF  BUILDING  MATERIAL. 


Year  or 
Month 

Metals  and  Implements 

Lumber  and  building  materials 

Relative 
Price  i 

Per  cent  of  increase  — 

Relative 
Price  * 

Per  cent  of  increase- 

In  1910 
over  each 
Preced- 
ing Year 

In  Decem- 
ber, 1910, 
over  each 
Preceding 
Month  of 
Year 

In  1910 
over  each 
preced 
ing  year 

In  De- 
cember 
1910,over 
each  Pre- 
ceding 
Month 
or  year 

40.9 
44.3 
52.1 
53.5 
62.4 
66.2 
67.5 
73.0 
63.3 
47.8 
35.2 
34.0 
31.6 
28.8 
27.5 
22.5 
11.6 
6.5 
17.5 
13.0 
2.1 

4.8 
3.2 
3.4 
2.9 
3.4 
3.2 
1.8 
.8 
.3 
.3 

2.1 

1890  

119.2 
111.7 
106.0 
100.7 
90.7 
92.0 
93.7 
86.6 
86.4 
114.7 
120.5 
111.9 
117.2 
117.6 
109.6 
122.5 
135.2 
143.4 
125.4 
124.8 
128.5 

129.7 
129.3 
128.9 
131.5 
129.9 
129.1 
128.2 
127.0 
127.0 
127.2 
127.1 
126.8 

7.8 

15.0 
21.2 
27.6 
41.7 
39.7 
37.1 
48.4 
48.7 
12.0 
6.6 
14.8 
9.6 
9.3 
17.2 
4.9 
25.0 
2  10.4 
2.5 
3.0 

6.4 
13.5 
19.6 
25.9 
39.8 
37.8 
35.3 
46.4 
46.8 
10.5 
5.2 
13.3 
8.2 
7.8 
15.7 
3.5 
2    6.2 
2  11.6 
1.1 
1.6 
2  1.3 

2  2.2 
2  1.9 
2  1.6 
2  3.6 
2  2.4 
2  1.8 
2  1.1 
2.2 
2.2 
2.3 

2.2 

111.0 
108.4 
102.8 
101.9 
96.3 
94.1 
93.4 
90.4 
95.8 
105.8 
115.7 
116.7 
118.8 
121.4 
122.7 
127.7 
140.1 
146.9 
133.1 
138.4 
153.2 

149.3 
151.5 
151.3 
152.0 
151.2 
151.6 
153.2 
155.6 
155.9 
155.9 
156.5 
156.4 

38.0 
41.3 
49.0 
50.3 
59.1 
62.8 
64.0 
69.5 
59.9 
44.8 
32.4 
31.3 
29.0 
26.2 
24.9 
20.0 
9.4 
4.3 
15.1 
10.7 

1891  

1892  

1893 

1894  
1895  .  .  
1896  
1897  

1898  
1899  

1900  
1901  .    ... 

1902  

1903  

1904 

1905 

1906  . 

1907  
1908  

1909 

1910 

1910 

January  .... 
February  .  .  . 
March  
April    .  . 

May  
June 

July 

August  
September  .  . 
October   
November  .  . 
December   .  . 

1  Average  for  1890-1899  =  100.0.        2  Decrease. 


PHYSICAL   VALUATION GENERAL    PRINCIPLES         577 

AVERAGE  PRICES 

Metals    and   Implements       Lumber  and  Building  Material 

1900  .  ..120.5        1900    115.7 

1901    111.9         1901    116.7 

1902   117.2         1902    118.8 

1903   117.6         1903  121.4 

1904   ...109.6         1904    122.7 

1905   122.5  1905  127.7 

1906   135.2  1906  140.1 

1907   143.4  1907  146.9 

1908   125.4  1908  133.1 

1909   124.8  1909  138.4 

1910   128.5  1910  153.2 

IF  BOOK  VALUES  are  taken,  a  start  should  be  made  on 
the  basis  of  the  figures  given  for  the  year  of  erection,  and 
the  rise  or  fall  of  prices  made  to  suit  the  year  of  valuation. 
As  many  materials  entering  into  a  building  are  not  listed 
in  the  Government  Bulletin  it  would  either  be  necessary  to 
find  out  the  percentage  of  rise  or  fall  for  them  also,  or  to  as- 
sume that  the  general  average  found  for  the  28  applied  to  all. 
When  the  difference  in  wages  is  considered,  say,  between 
1893  and  1911  another  factor  comes  in  to  make  trouble,  and 
modify  original  costs. 

BIDS: — Of  course,  all  through  it  has  to  be  remembered  that 
responsible  bidders  often  vary  on  their  bids  from  a  few  dol- 
lars to  20  per  cent,  and  over.  How  or  why  it  would  be  hard 
to  say,  but  we  know  that  it  is  done;  and  thus  book  values 
"cooked"  up  to  suit  a  percentage  of  rise  or  fall  in  prices 
would  probably  come  as  close  to  the  real  value  as  the  bid  of 
some  contractor.  Really,  the  only  safe  method  is  to  take  off 
a  bill  of  material  and  figure  up  the  building  in  the  regular 
way,  adding  a  contractor's  profit,  and  an  architect's  percent- 
age. But  unless  for  special  buildings  this  is  not  necessary 
for  assessors  or  Railway  Commissions. 

MATERIALS:— The  building  materials  listed  in  the  Bulletin 
are  common  brick,  cement,  lime,  hemlock,  red  cedar  and  cy- 
press shingles,  pine,  maple,  oak  of  various  kinds,  boards  of 
various  kinds,  glass  of  various  kinds,  poplar,  white  lead,  tur- 
pentine, linseed  oil,  tar,  putty,  doors,  and  oxide  of  zinc. 


578 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Another  list  headed  "Metals  and  Implements"  includes 
many  materials  used  in  building,  such  as  bar  and  pig  iron, 
builders'  hardware,  nails,  copper,  lead  pipe,  steel  rails,  sheets 
and  billets,  and  tin. 

Steel  rails  are  averaged  at  121.9  in  1890,  92.1  in  1894,  107.9 
in  1899,  123.9  in  1900,  104.9  in  1901,  and — singularly  enough — 
107.4  from  1902  to  1910  inclusive.  Builders'  hardware  rises 
from  103.7  in  1890  to  216.1  in  1910,  but  nails  fall  from  131.2 
to  94.4  in  the  same  period.  The  general  rise  in  this  Metal 
and  Implement  group  has  been  already  given. 

The  accompanying  Table  on  building  material  was  used  in 
the  Cleveland  Valuation,  that  went  into  effect  in  December, 
1911.  It  was  compiled  from  the  figures  given  by  the  Bureau 
of  Labor.  It  is  supposed  to  be  used  for  a  general  figure,  and 
not  for  23  items  only,  as  in  the  1911  Bulletin.  Thus,  the  ma- 
terial in  a  building  valued  at  $111.8  in  1890  would  be  listed 
at  $146.9  in  1907. 


RELATIVE 

WHOLESALE 

PRICES   OF   BUILDING 

MATERIAL. 

Per  cent,  of 

Relative 

increase  of  1907 

Year. 

price. 

prices  over  pre- 
ceding years. 

1890 

111.8 

31.4 

1891 

108.4 

35.5 

1892 

102.8 

42.9 

1893 

101.9 

44.2 

1894 

96.3 

52.5 

1895 

94.1 

56.1 

1896 

93.4 

57.3 

1897 

90.4 

62.5 

1898 

95.8 

53.3 

1899 

105.8 

38.8 

1900 

115.7 

27.0 

1901 

116.7 

25.9 

1902 

118.8 

23.7 

1903 

121.4 

21.0 

1904 

122.7 

19.7 

1905 

127.7 

15.0 

1906 

140.1 

4.9 

1907 

146.9 

PHYSICAL   VALUATION GENERAL    PRINCIPLES         579 

"That  is  to  say,"  explain  the  compilers  of  the  Table,  "the 
1907  prices  are  4.9  per  cent,  higher  than  the  1906  prices,  15 
per  cent,  higher  than  the  1905  prices,  etc."  The  1910  index 
prices  on  further  investigation  proved  to  be  about  the  same 
as  in  the  year  of  1907." 

HOUSES: — In  an  investigation  in  Philadelphia  of  the  cost 
of  standard  2-story  dwellings  of  a  cheap  type,  apart  from  the 
value  of  the  land,  the  following  table  was  made  out: 

Year          Cost  Year          Cost  Year          Cost 

1895  $1458        1899    $1588        1904    $1981 

1896  1484        1900     1712        1905     2038 

1897  1567        1901     1746        1906     2500 
1S98     1595        1902     1756        1907     2093 

1903     1821 

The  general  rise  is  seen  in  the  table,  which  starts  at  prac- 
tically $1500  and  ends  at  more  than  $2000. 

ARCHITECTS: — In  addition  to  the  increased  cost  of  ma- 
terials and  labor,  many  architects  have  raised  their  percent- 
age on  small  buildings,  and  especially  on  residences.  Some 
charge  as  high  as  10  per  cent.;  but  there  are  others  who  do 
work  for  as  low  as  3.  All  factors  have  to  be  taken  into  ac- 
count before  finishing  a  physical  valuation. 
CAUSES: — One  discouraging  feature  of  this  physical  valua- 
tion of  large  properties  is  the  continual  change  of  prices. 
Everyone  engaged  in  this  work  should  understand  some  of 
the  main  causes  for  the  changes,  even  if  they  lead  into  an- 
other field  of  investigation,  for  prices  are  going  to  rise  in  the 
future. 

The  Government  Bulletin  does  not  go  very  far  into  this 
side  of  the  question.  "The  causes  are  too  complex,"  it  is 
said,  "the  relative  influence  of  each  too  uncertain,  in  some 
cases  involving  too  many  economic  questions,  to  permit  their 
discussion  in  the  present  report." 

Some  of  the  influences  are  given,  however.  They  are  "va- 
riations in  harvest,  which  contract  or  expand  supply,  and  so 
increase  and  decrease  price,  not  only  of  the  particular  com- 
modity itself,  but  of  others  dependent  upon  it;  changes  in  de- 


580  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

mand  due  to  changes  in  fashions  and  seasons;  inspection  as 
to  purity  of  food,  etc.;  improvements  in  methods  of  produc- 
tion; cheapening  of  transportation  or  handling;  cornering  of 
products;  panics;  expanding  or  contracting  credit;  unusual 
demand;  short  supply;  organization  or  combination;  and  all 
hinging  on  one  another." 

GOLD: — But  the  chief  cause  of  all  is  ignored.  This  is  the 
startling  increase  in  the  supply  of  gold. 

We  are  far  enough  away  from  the  free  silver,  "16  to  1" 
days  to  look  at  this  question  in  a  somewhat  more  dispassion- 
ate manner  than  was  then  common.  One  of  the  main  argu- 
ments against  the  theory  was  that  all  fixed  incomes,  sal- 
aries, returns  from  bonds,  etc.,  would  have  had  less  purchas- 
ing power — in  other  words,  that  prices  would  have  risen. 
The  mortgage  or  bond  would  have  been  satisfied  with  the 
same  number  of  dollars,  but  the  owners  of  such  securities 
would  not  have  been  able  to  get  an  equal  number  of  feet  of 
lumber,  or  quantity  of  other  commodities.  This  theory  was 
correct.  The  same  cause  is  operating  now  to  raise  prices, 
and  will  continue  to  operate,  only  the  gold  that  was  lauded 
to  the  skies  in  1890-96  is  the  main  factor  that  is  disturbing 
all  values. 

Two  specially  good  articles  on  the  subject  appeared  in 
Success  Magazine  for  August,  1907,  and  the  Atlantic  Monthly 
for  October,  the  same  year.  The  one  is  entitled,  "The  Flood 
of  Gold;"  and  the  other,  "The  Gold  Output  and  the  Higher 
Cost  of  Living."  These  articles,  like  many  others  appearing 
in  the  eastern  publications,  give  the  key  to  the  chief  trouble 
with  physical  valuations  that  mount  the  appreciating  side  of 
the  ladder  at  a  faster  rate  than  they  go  down  the  depreciat- 
ing one. 

The  Success  article  says  that  from  1821  to  1840  the  entire 
world's  production  of  gold  was  averaged  at  $11,446,000;  from 
1896  to  1905,  $305,760,000;  in  1907,  about  $425,000,000.  The 
Financial  Chronicle  gives  the  figures  for  1909  at  $455,965,831; 
for  1910,  $455,984,828;  and  for  1911,  $460,000,000. 


PHYSICAL   VALUATION GENERAL    PRINCIPLES         581 

The  New  York  World  Almanac  gives  the  gold  production 
for  1893  at  $157,494,800;  for  1900  as  $254,576,300;  for  1908  as 
$441,932,200.  The  same  authority  gives  $113,996,000  as  used 
in  the  arts  over  all  the  world.  Making  all  allowance  for  ar- 
tistic requirements  and  increase  of  population,  that  require 
more  currency,  it  is  yet  seen  how  the  figures  are  leaping. 

The  Success  writer  says,  "Even  as  late  as  1848  the  total 
amount  of  gold  was  only  $2,800,000,000.  Beyond  a  doubt  we 
shall  duplicate  this  amount  in  the  next  six  years."  The  fig- 
ures for  1911  show  that  is  being  done.  "The  medium  by 
which  all  values  are  determined  has  almost  doubled  in  ten 
years."  "The  gold  standard  is  doomed." 

The  conservative  "Republican,"  of  Springfield,  Mass.,  also 
says  that  a  more  unstable  and  dishonest  dollar  than  the  yel- 
low one  does  not  exist. 

A  clear  presentation  of  the  effect  of  gold  production  on 
prices  is  given  in  the  Saturday  Evening  Post  for  March  16, 
1912.  The  theory  accepted  in  the  article  is  that  if  gold  in- 
creases the  price  of  buildings,  and  everything  else  must  rise. 
If  this  increased  production  continues  we  might  go  on  for 
ever  making  physical  valuations  and  find  them  worthless  in 
a  comparatively  short  period. 

CONTINGENCIES: — When  making  original  estimates  for 
groups  of  buildings  it  is  customary  to  allow  10  per  cent,  for 
contingencies.  In  making  a  valuation  after  they  are  built, 
however,  there  are  no  contingencies  to  be  taken  into  account. 
In  Minnesota  an  allowance  of  5  per  cent,  was  nevertheless 
allowed  by  the  State.  This  matter  is  settled  when  the  gen- 
eral summary  of  all  the  factors  in  a  complete  railroad  is  made 
and  the  part  of  a  building  appraiser  is  to  allow  contractor's 
prolit,  architect's  percentage,  and  end  there. 
INTEREST  during  construction  and  such  items  are  all  at- 
tended to  in  the  general  summary.  There  may  be  quite  a 
few  of  such  accounts  that  have  to  be  added  at  the  end.  There 
are  store  expenses,  for  instance,  sometimes  set  at  5  per  cent, 
on  the  material  delivered,  and  use  of  tools  and  equipment  on 
construction  charged  for  at  2  per  cent,  on  the  total. 


582  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

SEVERAL  FACTORS: — After  the  physical  valuation  of  a 
railroad  is  made  the  work  is  only  well  started.  A  celebrated 
Frenchman  once  gave  the  right  rule  for  doing  anything.  It 
ran,  "First  of  all,  define  your  terms."  The  cost  of  a  railroad 
is  not  its  value,  reproduction  value  is  an  indefinite  term, 
there  is,  or  there  is  not  such  a  thing  as  depreciation,  and  so 
on,  words  without  end,  Amen. 

Some  believe  in  public  ownership  of  railroads  and  other 
utilities,  and  others  do  not.  Regardless  of  which  is  right, 
it  may  be  safely  concluded  that  few  men  are  doing  more  for 
the  success  of  thepublic  ownership  theory  than  the  lawyers 
who  take  hold  of  a  physical  valuation  and  make  a  rubber 
band  of  it,  stretched  long  or  short  to  suit  the  side  that  hired 
them.  Regulation  has  failed  in  some  countries  and  govern- 
ment ownership  has  come.  Those  who  do  not  like  that 
should  do  their  best  to  get  everything  connected  with  their 
particular  semi-public  utility  regulated  on  a  fair  basis. 

The  Supreme  Court  of  Minnesota  considered  that  the  cost 
of  reproduction  is  practically  the  only  element  necessary  to 
be  considered  by  the  state  in  fixing  rates;  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States  declared  this  to  be  only  one  element  of 
several.  The  Washington  State  Commission  before  determin- 
ing the  market  value  ascertained 

(1)  The  original  cost  of  construction. 

(2)  Cost  of  reproduction  new. 

(3)  The  depreciated  value. 

(4)  The  amount  and  market  value  of  outstanding  stocks 

and  bonds. 
<5)  The  density  of  population  and  traffic. 

(6)  The  nature  and  permanency  of  population  and  traffic. 

(7)  Facilities  for  doing  business. 

(8)  The    physical    conditions    under    which    the    road    is 

operated. 


CHAPTER    XXXVIII. 

PHYSICAL    VALUATION.    DETAILS. 

TOOLS: — When  A.  B.  C.  is  sent  to  measure  up  for  appraisal 
railroad  buildings  stretching  over  several  hundred  miles  of 
a  state,  he  is  almost  sure  to  forget  to  take  something  with 
him  that  is  as  valuable  as  a  tape  line,  a  long  rule,  and  a  note 
book.  That  is  a  kodak.  Some  one  has  said  that  an  ounce  of 
notes  taken  on  the  place  is  worth  a  pound  of  recollection; 
and  a  small  picture  brings  back  features  of  a  building  in  a 
way  that  the  memory  alone  can  never  do.  With  field  notes, 
memory,  and  a  picture  of  any  special  structure,  or  unusual 
part  connected  with  it,  the  office  work  of  figuring  up  and  sum- 
marizing the  items  becomes  almost  as  easy  as  if  one  were  on 
the  ground.  It  is  quite  often  possible  to  get  a  picture  of  a 
railroad  building  for  a  few  cents,  as  most  towns  have  their 
prominent  improvements  photographed. 

A  good  set  of  plans  makes  the  best  picture  of  any  build- 
ing, especially  if  there  is  a  specification  with  them,  but  they 
are  not  always  obtainable,  and  actual  measurements  have 
to  be  taken,  often  in  the  dark  cf  a  basement,  or  up  in  smoky 
roofs  thick  with  the  dust  of  a  quarter  century. 
CHANGES: — Even  if  plans  are  provided  it  is  not  safe  to  rely 
upon  them  without  an  examination  of  the  special  structures. 
Some  buildings  shown  on  a  yard  plan  have  been  taken  down 
or  have  been  burned,  and  others  have  been  added  to  until  the 
original  structure  is  scarcely  recognizable  from  the  plans. 
BLANKS: — About  the  poorest  way  of  conducting  such  an  in- 
vestigation is  to  oblige  the  valuator  to  make  notes  on  every- 
thing connected  w;ih  a  building.  The  city  of  St.  Paul,  with 
about  25,000  building,  and  150.000  lots,  was  measured  for 
assessment  about  the  beginning  cf  this  century  under  the 
Somers  svstem;  ard  *v»e  s*m»  svstem  was  used  in  Cleve- 
land in  1910  to  anr^a'pe  IOOPAO  buildings,  and  145,000  par- 
cels cf  land.  Ela^  -«?  --  rrp  ivr^ed  in  each  case,  and  the 

583 


584  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

descriptions  of  the  buildings  merely  filled  in  with  a  circle 
over  the  selected  word.  This  is  not  only  a  quicker  way  of 
getting  the  necessary  information,  but  a  surer,  for  it  is  hard 
for  a  man  with  a  notebook  to  get  all  the  hundreds  of  items 
in  each  building.  It  is  true,  as  has  been  pointed  out  by  one 
Railroad  Commission,  that  no  one  blank  can  be  made  to  em- 
brace everything,  but  it  is  easy  to  attend  to  any  unusual  fea- 
tures. There  are  so  many  items  in  a  building  connected  with 
excavation,  piling,  concrete,  steel  frame,  brickwork,  cut  stone, 
carpentry  and  millwork,  plaster,  plumbing,  heating,  paint, 
sheet  metal,  skylights,  electrical  work,  floor  and  wall  tile, 
roofing,  piping  under  and  over,  floors  and  sidewalks,  that  it  is 
not  only  wasteful  of  time  to  follow  the  notebook  method 
alone,  but  decidedly  unfair  to  the  estimator.  Printing  is 
cheap,  and  blanks  pay  for  themselves  a  hundred  times  over. 
In  Cleveland,  for  example,  a  city  badly  cut  up  with  creeks, 
rivers,  runs,  valleys,  railroads,  lake  coast,  and  inequalities 
in  general,  and  thus  hard  to  value,  the  cost  of  making  out  an 
entirely  new  assessment  roll  for  145,000  parcels  of  land  was 
only  87  cents  each.  Philadelphia  pays  $3.40;  the  New  York 
yearly  revision  cost  99  cents. 

When  a  physical  valuation  of  this  kind  is  once  carried 
through  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  keep  it  up  to  date.  If  prices 
rise  a  percentage  can  be  added  to  the  building;  and  the 
usual  allowance  deducted  for  depreciation.  The  people  of 
Vancouver  have  ended  the  system  of  taxing  buildings,  and 
raise  the  necessary  funds  for  city  expenses  from  land  values 
only.  This  is  an  excellent  law  for  architects  and  builders, 
as  it  almost  compels  the  owners  of  vacant  property  to  build 
in  order  to  get  returns  for  the  city  treasurer,  and  it  exempts 
their  building  when  finished.  In  1901  the  population  of  Van- 
couver was  about  26,000;  in  1911,  130.000, 

Here,  then,  we  have  some  requirements  for  appraising 
almost  any  building  or  property — tape  line,  long  rule  to  reach 
high,  kodak,  notebook,  and,  above  all,  printed  blanks. 

A  sample  of  the  blanks  used  in  Cleveland  is  given  here- 
with. The  small  circles  are  put  over  the  necessary  word. 


PHYSICAL    VALUATION — DETAILS  585 


Examined. ../^.*?r???V../.s?. .1910 


one  side  of  one  ol  Duple* 

double  house  row  bouse 


No. ....... 

Assistant  Assessor 


NO.. 

Material  -siding  drop.  lap.  shiQles.  br&.  common, 

stone,  cut.  rough,  concrete  tile  T.  C.   Trimmii      „        .  

.t«fle.  cQ.  rough  T.  C..  brick,    woo?.      Upon    a    foundation  ol 
stone,  brflk.  tile,  concrete,  posts.  «"»"'  floor ^et  above  ground 

Dimensions—  vfo&     40ty     wide,     deep,     wide,     deep,     wide;     deep. 

*J  story       wide        deep,       Wide,       deep.       wide.      deep.      s£lSH 
0L~  high 

Injections -One^tjry  two  story  three  story  tower 

bay  window  bay  window  bay  window  I 


/OS&7-1- 

Boof-shingrles,  slO.  tile:  srravel.  composition,  tin.  copper.  Hip.  gaCJ, 
flat,  mansard  •  donjjjs  or  gatjto  Cornjceplffll.  orna. 

mental,  -wo0.  metal,  stone,  T.  C. 

Ditisloua—  nasement.  celO.  unOrwhOe.  frout^  middle,  year,  containing. 


1st  story,  h^>     parlor.    sitQif  .library,  diAtf  -  kitc»O.   **th      bed 
room.  rooTu.  room,  room 

2nd  story.  bed3bm.  bath  rOm.  otherQ»n» 

3rd  story,  bed  rooms.  bath  room  oiher  room* 

4th  story     bed       bath       other  Attlc, 


'_, 

room,    room,      rooms  nN  finished. 

Inside  Fiuisli-  Main  part,  lower  story  ornamental.  plaO.  hardUGod.  pinO 

dt3X>aint.    Upper  story  hardwoQ.  piO  ojQpaint 
Heating—stoves         furnace.         hot  Oter.          steam.          combination. 

Water  -Open        city.         in  yard.         base-         first         second          third 
well  nient.       story  story  story 

wa9f     *"*£.    lau-*y     si^K  barn       pluinMn?   opQ     closed 

g  -Gas        EledQlc.       Oil        Fixtures    P1&.Q    OrnaQntal 
Drainage  -Cesspool.  seOt.  Building  in  g<^3>  fair.  bad.  repair. 

Vacant.  occufi^J.  ownQ  tepaut.  who  estimQts.    pays,    rent  a 
per  month*    states  buildings  were  constructed  in 


Name  of  OO1*.  Agent  Tenant. 


586  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

It    u& 

V-T7...  —  Kate  .....  .....£*•*•—  per~  ....-..$"  ......  —  square  ..........  $  —  .—..-foot-.......- 

Barn,  -wood..  brick,    stone,    wfile.    deep.  stories  high 

contains  «talls.  livin*  room$ 

Sidewalk  -wood.    st<O.    cement,    brick.     o0     wood.    sto0.    granite 
Condition,  BoQ,  fair  bad. 

tot  Surface  —uGk  uneven;  about  /    feet  «bO-  below  grade 


Uaru  $  ......  _  ..........................  _  ........  Blu  Board  .................................  ........  ;  ...... 

A  literal  reading  of  these  markings  is  as  follows: 

READING   OF   BUILDING   SLIP. 

District  29,  Map  1,  Block  2,  Lot  4,  Page  76,  Line  14; 
Examined  March  15,  1910. 

A  single  house,  No.  10720  Laurel  Avenue,  S.  W.  The 
lower  story  constructed  of  pressed  brick;  the  upper  story 
frame;  covered  with  shingles.  Plain  cut  stone  trimmings  on 
lower  story  and  wood  trimmings  on  the  upper  story.  Built 
upon  a  foundation  of  brick,  the  main  floor  being  three  feet 
above  the  surface  of  the  ground. 

Dimensions,  25  feet  wide  by  37  feet  deep,  two  stories  high. 
Projections,  one  1-story  bay  window;  a  front  porch  13x6,  a 
side  porch  10x22,  and  a  rear  porch  5x4.  Roof  slate  in  gable 
form,  containing  three  dormer  windows  and  two  gables. 
Finished  with  a  plain  cornice  of  wood. 

Cellar  under  the  whole  house,  containing  storage  room, 
water  closet,  heating  plant,  and  laundry  tubs. 

First  floor  has  a  hall,  sitting  room,  dining  room  and  kit- 
chen; second  floor  has  three  bed  rooms,  one  bath  and  one 
other  room.  There  are  two  rooms  finished  in  the  attic.  The 
main  part  of  the  lower  story  is  finished  in  hard  wood  and 
pine,  dressed  in  oil.  Upper  story  the  same. 

It  is  heated  by  a  hot  water  system.  The  house  has  city 
water  in  one  bath  room,  two  water  closets,  two  wash  basins, 
laundry  tubs  and  two  sinks.  Plumbing  is  open. 

The  house  is  lighted  by  electricity  and  has  both  plain  and 
ornamental  fixtures.  Drainage  is  by  a  sewer. 


PHYSICAL     VALUATION — DETAILS  587 

The  building  is  in  good  condition,  occupied  by  the  owner, 
who  estimates  that  it  would  rent  for  $35  per  month,  and 
states  that  the  building  was  constructed  in  1909. 

The  sidewalk  in  front  of  this  property  is  stone  with  a  stone 
curb  in  good  condition.  The  lot  surface  is  level  about  one 
foot  above  the  grade  of  the  street. 

From  the  foregoing  reading  of  the  building  slip,  this  build- 
ing is  placed  in  Class  4,  of  Building  Schedule  No.  1,  as  a  two- 
story  house,  plus  three  points  on  account  of  the  large  porch 
areas  and  on  account  of  the  lower  story  being  brick,  making 
the  price  read  $4.80  per  square  foot;  less  depreciation  for  one 
year  makes  the  net  price  $4.60  per  square  foot.  The  area  of 
the  building  being  962  square  feet,  this  gives  $4,483,  as  the 
present  value  of  the  building,  as  it  is  located  in  a  district 
where  dwelling  houses  are  not  depreciated,  it  is  placed  on 
the  duplicate  at  that  sum. 

SQUARE  FOOT:— In  city  valuations  for  taxation  the  square 
foot  method  is  the  nearest  approach  to  a  detailed  estimate 
that  is  used.  In  most  cities  the  assessor  merely  guesses  at 
the  value,  or  takes  a  figure  from  the  newspapers  or  other 
hearsay — and  the  department  watches  the  transfers  of  real 
estate.  Much  railroad  property  in  a  physical  valuation,  in 
addition  to  standard  buildings  always  taken  by  the  square 
foot,  has  to  be  valued  by  this  quick  method  to  save  time,  but 
almost  all  builders  would  agree  with  the  opinion  quoted  at 
the  bottom  of  page  449,  this  book. 

TABLES: — There  is  another  method  that  goes  a  little  more 
into  detail,  but  stops  far  short  of  taking  off  the  quantities  in 
the  regular  way.  This  is  by  using  the  tables,  and  figures 
given  from  pages  11  to  40  in  this  Estimator.  Brick  walls 
are  not  hard  to  estimate,  if  the  building  is  of  masonry,  and 
then  floors,  partitions,  ceilings,  roof,  and  all  plain  work  is 
measured  up  and  a  price  per  square  set  to  suit  local  rates. 
Plaster  is  easily  found  by  using  the  tables  on  pages  415-424, 
windows  and  doors  are  allowed  at  so  much  per  opening,  in- 
cluding hardware,  painting  can  be  guessed  at  in  a  lump  sum, 
and  so  can  plumbing,  and  usually  heating,  but  the  latter  can 


588  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

be  checked  by  the  figures  given  elsewhere  for  the  cubic  foot 
of  space.  This  method  I  used  on  many  buildings  to  save 
time,  and  also  to  get  a  more  reliable  valuation  than  is  possi- 
ble under  the  square  foot  system. 

SPECIALS: — Engine  houses,  ice  houses,  and  platforms  are 
so  plain  that  there  is  usually  no  necessity  of  estimating  them 
in  detail,  for  the  price  per  stall  and  per  square  foot  is  well 
enough  known  among  railroad  men.  But,  on  the  other  hand, 
some  small  special  buildings  such,  for  example,  as  fireproof 
oil  houses,  may  run  to  twice  the  cost  that  one  would  judge 
upon  a  first  examination,  and  the  only  way  to  be  safe  is  to 
follow  the  contractor's  method.  In  the  chapter  on  square 
foot  costs  it  is  pointed  out  that  the  smaller  the  building  the 
greater  is  the  unit  in  dollars  per  sq.  ft.  The  detailed  estimate 
is  made  up  in  rather  a  slow  way.  It  has  been  calculated  by 
a  lumber  dealer  that  there  are  in  a  $3000  house  from  45,000 
to  50,000  separate  pieces  of  wood.  But  this  includes  all  mill- 
work,  with  doors  and  sash  estimated  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  pieces,  shingles  taken  separately,  floor  and  other 
boards  the  same  way. 

I  have  made  out  the  following  Schedule  for  more  items 
than  are  usually  met  with  in  any  one  building,  but  the  ones 
not  required  are  to  be  left  blank.  To  save  confusion  in  val- 
uing buildings  in  large  railroad  shop  grounds,  a  strict  line 
should  be  drawn  between  the  buildings  proper  and  the  yard 
work.  Everything  inside  of  the  structure  should  belong  to 
it,  but  nothing  outside,  unless  directly  connected  with  the 
main  unit.  Sometimes  there  are  concrete  tanks,  compressed 
air  tanks,  or  subways  that  belong  more  properly  to  the 
building  than  to  the  yard  systems.  But  as  far  as  possible 
the  yard  work  and  building  work  ought  to  be  listed  sepa- 
rately. 


PHYSICAL     VALUATION DETAILS 


589 


MAIN  SCHEDULE 


Name  of  architect 
Date  of  erection 
Date  of  erection  of  any  addi- 
tions 

Grading  of  site 
Grading  for  building  proper 
Filling  of  site 
Filling  building  proper 
Excavation 
Piles 
Concrete 
Brickwork 
Reinforced  concrete 
Granite,  outside  and  inside 
Stonework 
Cut  stone,  or  other  trimming, 

outside  or  inside 
Carving 
Fireproofing 

Structural  steel  and  iron 
Ornamental  iron 
Lumber 

Millwork  and  glass 
Carpenter  labor 
Hardware 
Roofing 
Galvanized  iron,  or  other  sheet 

metal  work 
Skylights 
Plaster 

Floors,  other  than  wood 
Plumbing,  to  bldg.  lines  only 
Marble  work 
Clocks 


Piping 

Water  filter 

Heating 

Drinking  fountains 

Elevators  and  dumb  waiters 

Electrical  work 

Fire  escapes 

Fire  shutters 

Fire  alarm  system 

Telephone  system,  bldg.  only 

Call  buzzer  system,  bldg.  only 

Vault  doors 

Lockers 

Refrigerator 

Scales,  not  portable 

Painting 

Papering  and  decorating 

Tanks  and  vats 

Awnings  and  shades 

Platforms,    directly    connected 

only 

Tracks,  inside  of  bldg.  only 
Turntables  and  pits 
Removing  old  buildings 
Fences,  for  bldg.  only 
Retaining  and   other  walls  at 

bldg. 

Sidewalks,  for  bldg.  only 
Paving,  for  bldg.  only 
Curbing,  for  bldg.  only 
Miscellaneous 
Contractor's  percentage 
Architect's  percentage. 


There  is  no  space  for  contingencies.  On  a  completed  struc- 
ture there  is  no  percentage  required  for  this  item. 

Most  of  the  items  in  the  main  sheet  have  to  be  subdivided. 
The  idea  is  not  only  to  save  time  with  such  blanks,  but  to 
make  sure  that  all  items  are  included.  It  is  not  hard  to  over- 
look an  important  item  when  doing  field  work,  and  the  neces- 
sary data  can  not  afterwards  be  secured  without  expense.  It 


590 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


would  be  easy  to  neglect  to  get  th'e  height  of  a  wall,  or  to 
note  down  the  fact  that  pressed  brick  were  used,  and  so  with 
other  details. 

DETAILED  SCHEDULE 


EXCAVATION:— 

(See  pages  40-42) 
Engineer's  fee 
Main 

Boiler   room 
Special  depths 

Pits,  engine,  coach,  drop,  etc. 
Subways  and  pipes 
Sump,  cistern,  well 
Steam  hammer    (See  p.  234) 
Machine     foundations      (See 

page  41) 
Footings 

Piers,  inside  and  outside 
Backfilling 

Grading  around  building 
Nature    of    soil — rock,   loose 

or  solid,  gravel,  earth,  mud 
Testing  expense 
Blasting 
Disposing  of  dirt 

PILING:  — 
Wood 
Concrete 
Sheet 

FOOTINGS:— (for     all     items 

under  Excavation) 
Concrete 

Concrete  forms  ^ 

Stone 
Brick 

Cement  stone 
Plank 

Concrete  ducts 
Dwarf  walls 
Piers 
Drains 
Area  walls 
Porches 


Chimneys 
Waterproofing 

BASEMENT    WALLS— to     1st 

floor  level:  — 
Concrete 
Rubble 
Cut  stone 
Bricks 

Cement  stone 
Hollow  tile 
Plank 
Whitewashing 

BRICKWORK:— 
Thickness  of  all  walls,  hight, 

etc. 
Walls  above  basement — from 

floor  to  floor 
Garden  walls,  etc. 
Common 
Hollow  tile 

Pressed,    quality,    how    laid 
(ordinary    bond,    Flemish, 
etc.) 
Molded 

Reveals,  how  deep 
Arch 

Arches,  common 
Fire 

Fireplace 
Wall  coping 
Enamel 

Enamel  molded 
Pilasters 
Cornices 
Veneering 
Flue  linings 
Sidewalk  arches 
Boiler  setting 
Cesspool 


PHYSICAL     VALUATION DETAILS 


591 


Cistern 

Piers 

Waterproofing 

Pointing  and  washing 

Well 

Septic  tank 

Paving 

Plastering  walls  with  cem- 
ent mortar,  asphaltum, 
etc. 

Chimneys 

Anchors,  tie-rods,  ashpit 
doors,  thimbles 

CHIMNEY  STACKS:— 

Common  brick,  round,  square 
Radial  brick 
Self-sustaining  steel 
Guyed  steel 
Reinforced  concrete 

GRANITE  OR  MARBLE:— 
Plain 
Squared 
Molded 
Polished 
Columns 
Steps 

Fountains    or    ornamental 
work 

STONEWORK:— 
Kind  of  stone 
Rubble 

Ashlar,  rock  faced,  squared 
Ashlar,  smoothed 
Ashlar,  hammer  dressed 
Ashlar,  2  and  1  work 
Ashlar,  thickness,  average 
Ashlar,  rustic 
Carvings 
Belt  courses 
Columns 
Steps 
Sills 
Lintels 

Ornamental  work 
Coping 


Caps 
Base 
.  Cornice 
Brackets 
Pointing 
Washing 
Backing 

TRIMMINGS:— (Outside      and 

Inside 
Cut  stone 
"Terra  cotta 
Artificial  stone 
Water  table 
Sills 
Lintels 
Coping 
Band  courses 
Steps 
Ornamental 

FIREPROOFING:— 

Doors  and  interior  finish 

Floors 

Ceilings 

Roof 

Partitions 

Stairs 

Columns 

Beams 

Walls 

Plaster  on  outside 

Other  finishes  on  outside 

Steel  reinforcement 

Forms 

Concrete 

Nails  and  wire 

HAULING  OR  FREIGHT  AL- 
LOWANCE for  entire 
building 

STEEL  AND  IRON:— 
Grillage  in  concrete  footings 
Columns,  steel  or  cast  iron 
Anchors  and  straps 
Stirrups 
Separators  and  bolts 


592 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Tie  rods  and  castings 

Columns,   steel    or    cast  iron 

Girders 

Trusses 

Lintels 

Runways  for  cranes,  etc. 

Shelving 

Steps  and  railings 

Cast  plates 

Column  bases 

Floor  beams 

Roof  beams 

Ceiling  framework 

Bracing 

Tanks 

Caps  and  bases 

Bolts 

Cleanout  doors 

Coal  hole  covers 

Coal  chute 

Gratings 

Railings 

Entrance  plates 

Threshold 

Safety  treads 

Chimney  caps 

Chimney  archors 

Metal  doors  and  frames 

Metal  shutters 

Wheel  guards 

Sidewalk  doors 

Sidewalk  lights 

Flag  poles     ' 

Fire  escapes 

Fire  ladders 

Fire  standpipes 

Fire  brackets 

Shelving 

Erection 

ORNAMENTAL  IRON 
Vault  doors,  etc.,  fixtures 
Grilles  for  windows,  etc. 
Screens 
Elevator     fronts,     sides, 

grilles,  glass,  etc. 
Stairs  and  railings 


Gates 

Window  guards 
Lamp  posts 

Lamp   brackets,  standards 
Kick  and  push  plates 
Cornices 
Posts 

Downspouts 
Mail  chute 
Lockers 

Miscellaneous:  canopies, mar- 
quises, heads,  balconies 

LUMBER:— 
Walls 
Posts 
,     Sills 
Girders 

Joists  and  sleepers 
Bridging 
Under  floors 
Upper  floors 
Partitions 
Ceilings,  frame 
Ceilings,  woodcovering 
Roof  framing 
Roof  covering 
Furring  and  grounds 
Corner  boards 
Cornice,  base,  etc. 
Siding   or   shingles 
Asbestos  shingles 
Asphalt  shingles 
Other  special  covering 
Tower,  flag  pole  , 

Porches 
Special  work 
Building  papers 
Fences,  sidewalks,  etc    (tem- 
porary) 
Coal  bins,  basement  work 

MILLWORK:— 
Outside  finish 
Kind  of  wood 
Frames 
Doors,  and  finish 


PHYSICAL    VALUATION — DETAILS 


593 


Windows,  and  finish 

Windows,  including  glass 

Interior  partitions  with  glass 

Store  front 

Ceiling  sash 

Weather  strips 

Transoms 

Bulletin  boards 

All  stairs  or  steps 

Base  and  picture  mold 

Plate  rail 

Chair  rail 

Chalk  rail 

Cornice,  ceiling 

Beams,  ceiling 

Glass,  plate 

Glass,      special       (sideboard, 

bookcase,  mirror,  prism 
Glass,  leaded 
Glass,  prism 
Glass,  floor 

Upper  floors  (see  lumber) 
Paneling,  outside  and  inside 
Wainscoting  in  dining  room, 

etc. 

Railings,  outside  and  inside 
Blinds,  outside  and  inside 
Columns,  outside  and  inside 
Pantries 

Cases,  drawer,  book 
Mantels 
Sideboard 
Medicine  cab. 
Seats 

Clothes  chute 
Refrigerator 
China  closets 
Hook  strips  and  shelving 
Storm  doors  and  windows 
Fly  screens 

Factory  doors  and  windows 
Porches,  and  sash  or  screens 
Brackets 

(See  pages  180  to  240  for 

items) 
Revolving  door 


HARDWARE:— 

If  work  is  figured  by  the 

square  the  tables  on  pp.  14- 

29  include  nails.    Shelf  hard- 
ware   has    to    be    added    to 

doors  and  windows.    (See  pp. 

228-234  for  items.) 
ROOFING:— 

Asbestos 

Slate 

Tile 

Gravel  and  slag 

Prepared 

Shingle  under  lumber) 
SHEET   METAL  WORK:— 

Roof,  tin,  galv.  iron,  copper, 
zinc,  lead  or  shingles 

Ventilators  and  registers 

Ordinary  skylights 

Speaking  tubes 

Piping    for    ventilators    and 
other  systems 

Cornices 
.  Cresting  and  finials 

Metal  ceilings 

Siding 

Fire  windows  and  doors,  cov- 
ering 

Tin  clad  doors 

Metal     windows     and     wire 
glass 

Gutters 

Valleys 

Conductors 

Flashing 

Painting 

SKYLIGHTS,  LARGE:— 
Copper  ribs  and  frame 
Galvanized     iron     ribs     and 

frame 

Charcoal  iron  ribs  and  frame 
Flashing 
Glass,  wire 

Glass,  common  ribbed 
Netting 


594 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


PLASTER:— 

(See  p.  136,  also  415-424) 

On  lath,  metal 

On  lath,  wood 

On  masonry 

3-coat  dry 

2-coat 

Sand  finish 

Cornices 

Centers 

Ornamental  work 

Sackett  board 
Other  special  finishes 

Compo  board 

Outside  plaster,  kind  of  lath, 

etc. 

Outside  columns,  beams,  etc. 
Wire  lath 
Metal  lath 
Wood  lath 
Back  plaster 
Basement  and  attic 
Wainscoting 
Blackboards 
Beams 
Corner  beads,  metal 

FLOORS     (OTHER    THAN 

WOOD:— 
Mosaic 
Tile 
Pulp 
Terazzo 
Concrete 
Rubber 

Special  • 

(See  page  299) 
Fireplaces 
Bathrooms 
Concrete  fill 

PLUMBING:— 

Supply  beyond  bldg  line 
Sewer  beyond  bldg  line 
Supply  and  sewer  inside 
Drains 


Soil  pipes 

Closets 

Urinals 

Sinks 

Wash  basins 

Baths 

Marble 

Slate 

Doors 

Meters 

Tubs 

Water  heater 

Boiler 

Floor  traps 

Grease  traps 

Hydrant,  small 

Pumps 

Tanks 

Valves 

Boilers 

Gas  pipe 

Vacuum  cleaner  and  piping 

Toilet  doors 

Toilet  hardware 

MARBLE,  ETC.:— 
Partitions 
Wainscoting 
Base 
Ceilings 

Ceilings,  mosaic  or  tile 
Casings 
Moldings 
Shelves 

Artificial  marble 
Special  ornamental 
Caps 

Thresholds 
Stair  treads 
Stair  Soffits 
Stair  balustrade 
Cornices  and  beams 
Columns 
Pilasters 
Scagliola 
Arches 


PHYSICAL     VALUATION DETAILS 


595 


CLOCKS:— 

In  large  railway  stations 
they  may  cost  from  $300 
each  to  several  thousands 

PIPING    (except  for  plumbing 

and  heating) : — 
Fire  protection  system 
Compressed  air  system 
Gas  system 
Oil  system 

Steam,  for  mechanical  use 
Sprinkler  system 
Water  filter  supply 
Main     supply     pipes     inside 
bldg. 

HEATING:  — 

(See  cost  for  shops,  page  291) 

Steam  supply  inside  of  bldg. 

All  galvanized  or  other  pip- 
ing, above  or  below  floor 

Fans 

Coils 

Expansion  tank 

Pipes 

Radiators 

Thermostat 

Motors 

Concrete  ducts  (to  be  taken 
in  footings) 

Boiler,  and  covering 

Breeching 

Stack 

Furnace,  complete 

Pipe  covering 

Decoration 

Boiler  foundation 

Valves 

ELEVATORS:— 
Passenger 
Automatic 
Freight 
Dumb  waiters 

Sidewalk  lifts,  for  ashes, 
baggage,  etc. 


ELECTRICAL  WORK:— 
Light 
Power 
Signal :    burglar,    watchman, 

fire 

Switchboards 

Conduits,    above    and    below 
floors 
Cables 
Fans 

Window  lights 
Cornice  lights 
Fixtures 
Switches 
Cabinets 
Panels 
Elevator  Its. 
Bells 

Telephones 
Clocks 
Pole  lines 

(Generators  and  heavy 
power  house  machinery  are 
not  included  with  the  build- 
ing. The  modern  system  of 
electrical  work  is  so  com- 
plicated that  it  requires  a 
special  expert  to  get  a  fair 
valuation.) 

TANKS  AND  VATS:— 

(These    are    not,    strictly 
speaking,  a  part  of  a  build- 
ing,   but    rather    belong    to 
equipment.     A  builder,  how- 
ever, is  usually  better  quali- 
fied to  get  at  the  value  than 
a  machinery  expert.) 
Oil  house  tanks 
Oil  house  piping,  not  includ- 
ing motive  power  machin- 
ery 
Oil    tanks    to    serve    various 

shops 

Oil  furnaces,  etc.,  when  en- 
closed with  masonry 
Lye  and  other  vats 


596 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


PLATFORMS:— 

(All   outside   platforms   to 
be     included     with    building 
only  when   they  might  rea- 
sonably be  considered  a  part 
of  it.) 
Gravel 
Wood 
Brick 
Concrete 
Cinder 

On  ground  level? 
Or  4  ft  6  in  up? 
Gutters 
Sewers 

Curbing — wood,    stone,    con- 
crete 

PLATFORM  FRAMEWORK:— 
Posts 
Brackets 
Area  of  roof 
Rafters 
Roof  covering 
Gutters 
Conductors 
Painting 

TRACKS  (INSIDE  OF  BUILD- 

INGS)  :  — 

Standard  gage,  lin.  ft. 
Narrow  gage,  lin.  ft. 
Turntables,  small,  diameter 


TURNTABLES  AND  PITS:— 
Diameter 
Steel 
Wood 

Wall,  concrete 
Wall,  stone 
Wall,  brick 
Wall,  plank 

FENCES:— 

Wood 

Iron 

Wire 

Gates 
PAVING:— 

Brick  on  edge 

Brick  on  flat 

Concrete 

Stone 

Asphalt 

Creosoted  block 

CURBING:— 

(See    pages    97-98    of    the 
Estimator) 
MISCELLANEOUS  :— 

Bins,     racks,     cases,      small 

bldgs.  in  yard 
Bonds 

Building  permits 
Insurance — fire   and  liability 
Patents — allowance    for    use 

of 
Water 


It  is  impossible  to  get  every  item  in  a  modern  building 
listed,  but  by  going  over  the  foregoing  lists  as  the  work  pro- 
gresses nothing  of  importance  will  be  omitted  in  even  a  large 
railroad  shop  yard  or  passenger  station.  A  good  deal  of  in- 
formation can  occasionally  be  obtained  from  local  contrac- 
tors or  others  as  to  the  value  of  structures  with  which  they 
have  been  connected;  and  an  experienced  builder  knows 
what  many  items  cost  without  figuring  them. 


PHYSICAL     VALUATION — DETAILS  597 

A  LIST  OF  SOME  MAIN  STRUCTURAL  ITEMS  REQUIRED 

FOR  VALUING  A  SPECIAL  BUILDING  FROM  FIELD 

NOTES. 

(1)  A  small  plan  in  notebook  with  ground  sizes,  and  sizes 
for  floors  above  ground,  if  different.     (If  a  set  of  plans  is  not 
given). 

(2)  Depth  of  structure  in  ground,  on  an  average,  for  ex- 
cavation.    If  piles  are  used,  approximate  them  at  3  ft.  cen- 
ters, double  row. 

(3)  Get  width  and  thickness   of  footings   if  obtainable. 

(4)  Height  from  top  of  footings  to  top  of  ground  floor,  if 
the  thickness  of  wall  is  the  same  clear  up. 

(5)  Thickness  of  walls  below  the  top  of  ground  floor. 

(6)  Complete  height  of  walls  above  the  top  of  ground  floor 
to  wall  plate,  if  the  thickness  is  the  same  all  the  way  up;  if 
not,  the  height  of  each  thickness  to  be  taken  separately.  The 
height  of  all  ceilings  in  the  clear  to  be  taken  as  a  check,  and 
to  serve  for  plaster.     If  the  walls  are    too  high    to  be  con- 
veniently measured,  count  the  courses  of  brickwork,  or  siding 
boards,  and  average  at  the  same  number  to  36  inches,  say, 
as  those  within  reach.     Get  the    thickness  of    all  masonry 
waJls,  especially,  and  mark  in  the  detailed   sheet  the  qual- 
ity of  face  brick  or  stone. 

(7)  Count  all  openings,  and  deduct  the  average  size  from 
each  thickness  of  masonry  to  which  it  belongs,   multiplied 
by  the  number. 

(8)  Get  the  area  and  thickness  of  gables.     Include  cop- 
ing. 

(9)  Allow  extra  for  all  buttresses,  pilasters,  cornices,  off- 
sets, by   actual  measurement,  and    not  by    trade  rules.     If 
chimneys  are  of  the  ordinary  size  figure  per  lineal  foot,  in- 
cluding flue  linings.     (See  page  84). 

(10)  Figure  all  inside  walls,  below  or  above  ground,  and 
watch  each  story  for  them.    Be  sure  to  mark  thickness. 

(11)  List  all  piers,  with  sizes,  outside  and  inside.    If  small, 
set  a  price  down  for  them  on  the  spot.    It  is  often  impossible 


598  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  get  sizes  without  crawling  below  floors.  On  one  shop  I 
listed  150  stone  piers,  8  ft.  deep,  and  8  ft.  center  to  center. 
Even  at  the  top  where  the  wood  girder  rested  they  were  3' 
6"  square.  The  entire  cellar  was  full  of  stone,  with  only  a 
passageway  of  about  3  feet  between  the  piers  at  ground  level. 
Through  all  the  buildings  of  that  particular  shop  yard  the 
same  system  cf  piers  was  used.  It  is  unsafe  to  guess  at  what 
is  below  the  main  floor. 

(12)  Measure  the  surface  of  all  pressed  brick  work,  and 
count  an  average  of  molded,  arch,  and  enamel  brick. 

(13)  Get  the  area,  thickness,  and  description  of  all  con- 
crete and  other  floors. 

(14)  Keep  the  list  of  all  outside  work  separate — such  as 
paving,  cesspool,  retaining  walls,   etc.,  that  do  not  strictly 
form 'a  part  of  the     building,     and     yet     belong  to  it.     Get 
heights,  thicknesses,  and  sizes. 

(15)  Find  the  cost  of  the  ordinary  building  materials,  and 
the  local  rate  of  wages. 

(16)  List  all  trimmings,  if  they  are  many,  apart  from  the 
brick  or  other  masonry: — Such  as  cut  stone,  terra  cotta,  etc. 

(17)  If  walls  are  of  stone  write  a  short  description  of  its 
quality,  and  get  the  local  price.    Mark  the  thickness  of  walls. 
Estimate  the  value  of  carved  pieces  on  the  ground. 

(18)  Describe  the  kind  of  floors,  and  get  area.     Get  posts, 
girders,  sizes  and  centers  of  joists.     So  with  ceiling  joists, 
roof  joists,  and  partitions. 

(19)  Figure  the  weight  of  one  steel  truss  where  there  are 
several,  and  allow  bracing  to  suit.    A  better  idea  may  be  had 
on  the  ground  of  weight,   etc.,  than  from  notes.       Consult 
pages  29,  215,  216.     Get  diameter  of  cast  iron  columns,  and 
height  from  No.  6,  this  list.     Give  lintel  widths,  and  depths. 
List  thickness  of  sills. 

(20)  Price  all  ornamental  iron  on  the  spot,  or  take  a  pho- 
tograph. 

(21)  Price   counters,   stairs,    special    openings,    and   such 
work  on  the  ground. 

(22)  If  a  plan  is  made  and  the  size  of  each  room  marked, 


PHYSICAL     VALUATION — DETAILS  599 

all  base,  picture  mold,  and  plaster,  can  be  figured  from  it 
along  with  No.  6. 

(23)  For  plumbing,  heat,  electric  work,  and  other  special 
installations  try,  locally  or  otherwise,  to  get  a  fair  valuation 
from  any  one  in  the  business. 

(24)  Mark  down  your  idea  of  percentage  of  value  as  com- 
pared with  a  new  structure. 

(25)  Mark  down  quality  of  glass — S.  S.,  D.  S.,  Plate,  etc., 
on  a  fine  building.     Get  size  of  plate. 

(26)  Mark  down  price  of  racks,  cases,  etc.,  on  the  ground. 
(See  Chapter  entitled,  Short  Cuts). 

(27)  Get  a  set  of  plans  if  possible,  and  mark  changes  from 
them  as  made  on  the  building. 

YARD  WORK: — The  buildings  of  a  modern  shop  plant  are 
all  connected  with  a  network  of  subways,  pipes  and  tracks. 
The  trackage  system  and  everything  connected  with  it  is  en- 
tirely beyond  the  province  of  a  builder,  and  is  managed  by 
engineers;  but  the  subways  and  the  piping  systems  are  often 
left  to  him.  Unless  a  plan  can  be  seen,  the  best  estimator 
is  he  who  can  guess  easiest  what  lies  below  the  ground,  and 
how  deep  it  is  buried.  Without  a  plan  no  one  can  tell  the 
length,  diameter  or  thickness  of  the  heavy  pipes,  and  when 
this  uncertain  kind  of  work  is  carried  all  through  a  modern 
railroad  yard,  the  terminals  of  the  two  contending  artists 
who  make  the  estimates  for  the  Railroad  Company  and  the 
State  Commission  are  apt  to  be  beyond  hailing  distance. 


CHAPTER    XXXIX. 

RAILROAD    FIGURES. 

In  Chapter  XXII  the  cost  of  many  different  kinds  of  rail- 
road structures  is  given:  here  only  a  few  actual  records  are 
set  down  to  serve  for  an  approximate  estimate;   and  some 
useful  detailed  figures. 
PUMP  HOUSES,  average  of  half  a  dozen,  $1.40  per  sq.  ft. 

ORDINARY  WATER  TANKS:— Average  of  a  score,  $2000, 
at  24  ft.  diameter.  Prices  from  $1800  to  $2500.  Labor,  50 
per  cent,  of  material.  (See  elsewhere  in  this  Chapter  for 
tables  of  cost). 

STEEL  WATER  TANKS  AND  FRAMEWORK:— An  approxi- 
mate price  for  elevated  steel  tanks  is  as  follows: 

For  50,000   gallons  capacity,  100   feet  to  the  top,  erected 
complete,  $4000;  for  100,000  gallons,  same  height,  $6000. 

TRACK  SCALES: — For  50-ft,  80-ton,  average  of  a  dozen, 
$1250;  labor  1-3  of  total.  For  (2)  40-ft.,  80-ton,  $1500  each. 
For  40-ft.,  100-ton,  $2600. 

TURNTABLES: — On  page  344  some  figures  are  given  for  3 
diameters.  The  average  of  5  built,  72  ft,  was  $5000,  which  is 
over  the  figures  set  on  page  344.  An  average  price  for  half 
a  dozen  regular  66-ft.  tables,  complete  with  pit  walls,  etc., 
was  $4000. 

CHICAGO  PRICES:  — 

For  a  50-ft.  Gallows   frame   turntable  $490.00 

For  a  60-ft.  Lassig  2100.00 

For  a  70-ft.  Lassig  2300.00 

For  a  70-ft.  King  1950.00 

For  a  50-ft.  gallows  frame,   pile   center,   rail, 

etc.,  complete,  1725.00 

For  a  70-ft.  Lassig,  concrete,  pile  center  and 

circle,  4200.00 

600   . 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  601 

DETAILS: — Some  of  the  unit  figures  given  below  are  a  little 
too  high,  while  others  are  too  low,  but  they  may  be  changed 
to  suit  local  prices.  Different  kinds  of  tables  are  detailed: 

70'  Table  and  Pit — Masonry  Center  on  Piles  and  Pile  Circle 
and  Curb. 

2500  lin.  ft.  cedar  pile  (40  tons)  at  29c  $725.00 

10  cu.  yds.  cut  stone  (20  tons)  at  5.40 54.00 

5  cu.  yds.  crushed  stone  (6^  tons)  at  1.75 8.85 

10  bbls.  Port,  cement  (2  tons)  at  1.92  19.20 

22  M.  lumber  (36.7  tons)  at  27.25   599.46 

Bolts,  rails,  spikes  and  circle  rail  (7.14  tons)    214.43 

1  70'  Lassig  Turntable  (30.05  tons)    2,200.00 


Total  material $3,820.94 

Excavating  1175  cu.  yds.  at  50c $587.50 

Shoring    51.56 

Placing  5  cu.  yds.  concrete  at  2.00 10.00 

Setting  10  cu.  yds.  stone  at  5.00 50.00 

Driving  2500  lin.  ft.  piling  at  20c 500.00 

22  M.  lumber  framed  and  placed  at  15.00 330.00 

Placing  table  and  circle  rail  .  100.00 


Grand   total    (Lassig)    $5,450.00 

Grand  total  (King)     5,100.00 

70'  Turntable  and  Pit — Concrete  Center  and  Circle 

400  lin.  ft.  piles  at  20c $116.00 

5269  B.  M.  ties  and  floor 138.22 

10  M.  B.  M.  3"x8"  sheet  piling  at  25.60 256.00 

1792  B.  M.  circle  wall  coping,  3"xl4" 49.26 

1480  B.  M.  6"x8"  oak  ties  for  circle  rail 40.33 

4575  Ibs.  circle  rail  and  fastenings   58.43 

640  Ibs.  bolts,  nails  and  castings 18.16 

33  cu,  ft.  cut  stone  at  20c 6.60 

350  cu.  yds.  concrete  at  3.98 1,393.00 

1  70'  Lassig  turntable  .  .  2,200.00 


Total  material   $4,276.00 


602  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

*Excavating  1208  cu.  yds.  at  50c $604.00 

Driving  400  lin.  ft.  piling  at  20c 80.00 

Shoring  4600  sq.  ft.  at  6%c 300.00 

Placing  350  cu.  yds.  concrete  at  2.00 700.00 

Setting  center  stone  5.00 

Placing  and  framing  8540'  lumber  at  15.00 125.00 

Putting  in  drain 10.00 

Placing   table    100.00 


Grand  total    (Lassig)    $6,200.00 

Grand  total  (King)  5,850.00 


*For  each  foot  less  in  depth  deduct  165  cu.  yds. 

Material  Weights  for  Above 
34.84  tons  Timber  and  Piles. 
2.78  tons  Oak  Ties. 
2.60  tons  Circle  Rail  and  Hardware. 
30.05  tons  Lassig  Turntable. 
26.25  tons  King  Turntable. 
2.48  tons  Cut  Stone. 
109.50  tons  Crushed  Stone. 
84.00  tons  Cement. 
262.5    tons  Sand. 

70'  Turntable  and  Pit,   Masonry  Center  and  Circle  on   Piles 
and  Concrete. 

142  piles,  3550  lin.  ft,  at  29c $1,029.50 

76  cu.  yds.  concrete  at  3.98  302.48 

10  cu.  yds.  1st  class  masonry  at  5.09 50.90 

278  cu.  yds.  2d  class  masonry   917.40 

1  70'  Lassig  turntable 2,200.00 

4968'  B.  M.  decking  timber 125.00 

200  Ibs.  bolts  and  hardware  6.00 

1575  B.  M.  wall  coping,  3"xl4",  at  $28   44.10 

Turning  levers  and  locks 18.41 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  COS 

3156'  B.  M.  circle  rail  ties  at  27.00 85.21 

Circle  rail  and  fastenings  75.00 

10  M.  sheet  piling,  3"x8",  at  25.60 256.00 

Drain  for  pit 5.00 


Total  material   $5,115.00 

800  cu.  yds.  excavation  between  piles  at  70c 560.00 

640  cu.  yds.  excavation  at  50c 320.00 

3550  lin.  ft.  piling  driven  at  20c 710.00 

3300  sq.  ft.  shoring  at  6^c 215.00 

76  cu.  yds.  concrete  placed  at  2.00 152.00 

10  cu.  yds.  1st  class  masonry  set  at  4.00 40.00 

278  cu.  yds.  2d  class  masonry  set  at  3.50  973.00 

9700  B.  M.  lumber  set  at  15.00  145.00 

Placing  table  100.00 

Placing  drain 10.00 


Grand  total  (Lassig)    $8,340.00 

Grand  total  (King)   7,990.00 

Weights  of  Material 

63.32  tons  Cement. 

30.05  tons  Lassig  Turntable. 

26.25  tons  King  Turntable. 

4.3  tons  Circle  Rail,  Bolts  and  Turning  Lever. 

88.92  tons  Crushed  Rock. 

383.00  tons  Stone. 

89.64  tons  Lumber. 

187.70  tons  Sand. 

60'  Turntable,  Masonry  Cent,  on  Pile  and  Concrete — Pile 
Circle  and  Curb. 

1155  lin.  ft.  piling  at  29c $334.95 

9000  ft.  B.  M.  timber 253.13 

60  lin.  ft.  decking,  L.  &  M 177.00 

1012  Ibs.  iron 25.56 

30  cu.  ft.  cut  stone  at  20c 6.00 

7  cu.  yds.  concrete   41.8$ 


604  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

1  60'  Lassig  turntable  2,000.00 

715  cu .  yds  excavation  at  50c 375.50 

1155  lin.  ft.  piling  (driving)  at  20c 231.00 

9000'  B.  M.  lumber  framed  and  placed  at  15.00   135.00 

Setting  center  10.00 

Placing  table  75.00 


Total    $3,665.00 

Weights  of  Material 

40.58  tons  Lumber  and  Piles.  . 

2.29  tons  Hardware. 
27.30  tons  Turntable. 

9.70  tons  Stone. 

5.25  tons  Sand. 

50   Gallows  Frame  Turntable — Pile  Center  and  Circle 

458'  B.  M.  14"xl4" $  12.53 

318'  B.  M.     4"xlO"  7.46 

360  B.  M.  12"xl2"    

2100  B.  M.  12"xl4"    67.90 

760  lin.  ft.  piling   220.40 

75  7-8"x22"  drift  bolts 3.75 

30  clamps   187 

1  50'  gallows  frame  turntable  (23.25  tons)  477.10 

Circle  rail,  1.32  tons  at  28.00 36.96 

760  lin.  ft.  piling  (driving)  at  20c. 152.00 

3226  ft.  B.  M.  lumber  framed  and  placed 50.03 

260  cu.  yds.  excavation 130.00 

Erection  of  table  .  50.00 


Total   $1,210.00 

Weights  of  Material 

17.56  tons  Lumber  and  Piles. 
24.68  tons  Table,  Rail,  etc. 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  605 

ENGINE  HOUSES 

64  Ft.  Houses 
3-Stall  64'  House,  Brick-lined  Frame. 

216  lin.  ft.  pile  heads  at  29c $  62.64 

38,850'  B.  M.  lumber 1,068.07 

64,640   common  brick  at  7.00    452.58 

25  bbls.  cement  at  1.92  48.00 

50  bbls.  lime  at  65c 32.50 

375  Ibs.  paint  at  3c — 59.4  squares 11.25 

40%  squares  gravel  roofing  at  2.53  102.46 

Millwork 88.03 

Bolts,  nails  and  hardware — 3813  Ibs 93.05 

3    Smoke   jacks    150.00 

180'  of  8"  sewer  pipe   144.40 

135  cu.  yds.  excavation  at  50c 67.50 

64,640  brick  laid  at  8.00   517.00 

38,850  B.  M.  lumber  placed  at  20.00 777.00 

40%  sqs.  roofing  at  1.25 50.62 

Door  and  windows 105.00 

59.4  squares  painted   42.00 

180'  of  8"  sewer  laid   .  18.00 


Total    • $3,700.00 

Each  Additional  Stall,  64'  Brick-lined  Frame 

44  lin.  ft.  pile  heads  at  29c $  12.76 

9150'  B.  M.  lumber  256.56 

14,000  common  brick  at  7.00  98.00 

5  bbls.  cement  at  1.92   .9.60 

10  bbls.  lime  at  65c 6.50 

45  Ibs  paint  at  3c. — 8.1  squares 1.35 

12%  sqs.  gravel  roofing  at  $2.53  31.63 

Doors,  windows  and  millwork 20.66 

Bolts,  nails,  hardware 21.21 

1  smoke  jack 50.00 

20'  8"  sewer  pipe  1.60 

45  cu.  yds.  excavation  at  50c.  .  22.50 


€06  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

14,000  brick  laid  at  8.00 112.00 

9150'  B.  M.  lumber  framed  and  placed  at  20.00  . .  183.00 

I2y2  sqs.  roofing  placed  at  1.25 15.63 

Doors  and  windows  placed  35.00 

8.1  sqs.  of  painting   5.00 

20'  sewer  pipe  laid 2.00 


Total     $885.00 

ICE  HOUSES: — A  figure  on  large  ice  houses  is  given  on 
page  320:  the  detailed  figures  for  a  small  house  are  given 
below: 

Standard — 4"  Air  Space,  Pile  Head  Found,  12"  Cinder  Floor, 
6"  Drain  Tile  through  center  of  house,2"x4"  Studs  separated 
by  I"x6"  Fencing  Flooring,  I"x6"  Lining  Fencing  Flooring, 
I"x6"  Drop  Siding  on  I"x6"  Fence  Floor,  with  tar  paper  be- 
tween, Shingle.  Roof,  Floor  to  plate  16'.  - 

28'x32'  House 

90  lin.  ft.  pile  heads  at  29c $  26.10 

15,500  ft.  B.  M.  lumber 395.51 

11,500  shingles  at  2.70 31.05 

445  Ibs.  tar  paper  at  1.75  cwt 7.79 

1000  Ibs.  rods,  bolt  and  nails 27.27 

42'  drain  tile,  6" 1.68 

32  cu.  yds.  cinders  for  filling  at  20c 6.40 

140  Ibs.  paint  at  3c. — 22  squares  4.20 


Total  material  $500.00 

Placing  pile  heads  $  18.00 

Placing  15,500'  lumber  at  20.00 ; 310.00 

Placing  11,500  shingles   20.00 

Laying  tile   2.00 

Unloading,  placing  and  tamping  cinders  . . . 20.;)0 

Painting  22  squares 30.00 


Total  labor  and  material $900.00 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  607 

EACH  16'  SECTION 
(Capacity,  170  tons  per  16'  Panel.) 

20  lin.  ft.  pile  heads  at  29c $     5.80 

6400  ft.  B.  M.  lumber 164.55 

6250  shingles  14.18 

165  Ibs.  tar  paper 2.89 

285  Ibs.  hardware 7.84 

30  Ibs.  paint  at  3  c 90 

16'  6"  tile 64 

12  cu.  yds.  cinders  at  20c 3.20 


Total  material  $200.00 

Placing  pile  heads  $  10.00 

5400'  lumber  at  20.00 108.00 

Shingling  5250 10.00 

Laying  tile  1.00 

Unloading,  placing  and  tamping  cinders 11.00 

Painting  10.00 


Total  labor  and  material $350.00 

ICE  HOUSES: — As  a  fair  idea  of  the  relative  value  of  out- 
side and  inside  houses  of  a  larger  type  than  the  above,  the 
following  figures  are  given:  Frame,  32  ft.  x  112  x  32  ft.  high, 
outside  houses,  $4800;  inside,  $3800.  The  outside  houses 
have  an  exterior  wall,  and  the  half  of  an  inner;  the  inside 
houses  have  2  half  walls,  or  1  whole,  inside  wall.  The  di- 
vision walls  are  of  cheaper  construction  than  the  outside 
ones,  and  are  unpainted.  A  wall  112x32  is  worth  about  $600, 
including  foundation  of  pile  heads  and  bases.  (See  also 
page  320). 


608  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

FENCE 

MATERIAL  AND  COST  FOR  WIRE  FENCE 


Kind  of  Fence 

Cost  of 
Material  per 
lin.  foot 

Cost  of 
Labor  per 
lin.  foot 

Total 
Cost  per 
lin.  foot 

3  Wire  

$.01061 

$.00939 

$.020 

4  Wire  

.01295 

.01295 

.025 

5  Wire    

.01368 

.01332 

.027 

6  Wire    

.01521 

.01479 

.030 

7  Wire  

.01674 

.01526 

.032 

8  Wire  

.01827 

.01673 

.035 

9  Wire  

.01980 

.01820 

.038 

3  Wire  &  26"  W.  W  
4  Wire  &  26"  W.  W  
1  Wire  &  42"  W  W.     . 

.02306 
.02459 
.02560 

.01394 
.01541 
.01440 

.037 
.040 
.040 

2  Wire  &  42"  W.  W.  . 

.02712 

.01488 

.042 

58"  W.  W. 

.02830 

.01670 

.045 

NOTE — On  above,  Posts  16J'  C  to  C.    Braces  and  Brace  Wire  included. 
FENCE  WIRE 


Barbed  Wire    $2.45  per  cwt. 

26 "  Woven  Wire 0.1992  per  rod 

42  *  Woven  Wire 0.2904  per  rod 

58"  Woven  Wire 0.36      per  rod 


Weighs  1  Ib.  per  rod 
Weighs  8.3  Ibs.  per  rod 
Weighs  11.9  Ibs.  per  rod 
Weighs  14.9  Ibs.  per  rod 


BOARD  PARK  FENCE 

7'  Cedar  Posts,  Spaced  8'  with  I"  x  6"  Boards,  2-1  x  6  braces 
per  panel  with  1"  x  6"  face  board  on  front  of  posts. 
Cedar  Posts  @  10^  ..............  0.41  Tons 

312'  B.  M.  I"x6"-16'  @  $24.60  .  .  .0.52  Tons 
12  Ibs.  Nails  @  $2.20  per  cwt  .....  0.006  Tons 

Labor  Post  Holes  @  5£   .......... 

312'  B  M.  Placed  @  $8    ......... 

Total  for  100  lin.  ft. 

GAS  PIPE  PARK  FENCE 


7'  Cedar  Posts,  Spaced  9'-3-l| 
Cedar  Posts  @  10j£ 
300  '-1  1  "  Wrought  Iron  Pipe 
Labor 

Total  for  100  lin.  ft... 


Wro't  Iron  Pipe  Rails 


7c. 


$1.20 
21.00 
2.80 
$25.00 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  609 

FENCES: — Here  it  may  be  well  to  remind  the  reader  that 
fences  are  built  under  various  conditions,  and  on  soils  that 
change  the  labor  cost  considerably.  It  is  easy  to  set  posts  on 
ordinary  ground  but  difficult  in  a  swamp  or  among  rocks; 
and  the  weather  has  also  to  be  taken  into  account. 

UMBRELLA  SHEDS: — A  set  of  long  ones  on  a  large  sta- 
tion had  100  Ibs.  of  steel  to  the  lineal  foot.  This  is  a  hint  for 
an  approximate  figure  to  save  estimating  laced  columns,  etc. 
The  variety  in  this  field  is  as  great  as  in  others.  On  page  30 
we  see  that  a  shed  roof  may  be  put  on  for  48  cents  per  sq.  ft. 

The  newest  style  of  shed  is  wider  than  the  ordinary  one, 
and  slopes  from  the  coaches  to  the  center  of  the  platform. 

The  foregoing  weights  and  figures  apply  only  to  what 
might  be  called  ordinary  construction.  Such  sheds  as  the 
"Northwestern"  ones  in  Chicago  with  heavy  framework  and 
concrete  roofs,  occupy  another  field  altogether. 

APPROACHES: — Coaling  stations  of  several  types,  and  many 
power  houses  require  approaches  where  the  cars  are  backed 
up  to  the  required  height.  A  fair  approximate  valuation  is 
$11  per  lineal  foot  without  any  masonry,  but  with  piling; 
with  masonry  and  piling,  $12;  without  piling,  $10.  Add  con- 
tractor's profit,  and  engineering  percentage.  But  some  ap- 
proaches run  as  high  as  $14  net,  without  profit. 

A  detailed  figure  for  one  type  of  approach  is  as  follows: 
Length,  186  ft: 

Excavation,  no  grading  $18.00 

Masonry  198.00 

Piling  120.00 

Woodwork,  (bents,  girders,  ties,  etc.)  1600.00 

Hardware  90.00 

Rail  (for  approach  and  all  structure)  176.00 

Contractor's  percentage,  10^  220.00 

Engineering  and  supervision,  5^  121.00 

$2543.00 
Per  lineal  ft.  $     13.6? 


610  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

VIADUCT  PLATFORMS  of  the  heaviest  design,  except  for 
teaming,  $4  to  $5  per  sq.  ft.  Steel  beams,  and  the  best  of 
paving  throughout. 

TRANSFER  PIT  with  walls  of  creosoted  timber.  Size,  92 
ft.  x  370.  Cost,  $10,285.  Table  extra,  $7000. 

DRY  KILNS: — The  square  foot  costs  of  two  were  $2  and 
$2.33.  The  area  in  the  one  case  was  1700  sq.  ft.,  and  1900  in 
the  other. 

PITS  for  coaches,  engines,  etc.,  are  of  various  depths  and 
thicknesses  of  walls,  and  thus  have  to  be  estimated  to  suit. 
A  fair  average  is  $6  per  lineal  foot  for  coach  pits,  and  $7  for 
the  heavier  class  for  engines.  This  does  not  include  piling. 
Profit  for  contractor,  and  the  usual  allowance  for  making 
plans  and  supervision  to  be  added  at  the  final  summary.  (See 
also  page  341). 

CINDER  PITS  in  timber,  $8  to  $10  per  lineal  ft.;  in  masonry, 
$10  to  $20. 

DRINKING  FOUNTAINS  in  railroad  shops  may  run  from  $5 
to  $100  each.  A  fair  installation  costs  $85,  not  including  sup- 
ply and  waste  piping  below  floors,  etc.  Many  shops  have 
merely  a  faucet. 

FOLDING  DOORS  are  much  used  now  in  freight  houses. 
They  are  cut  through  the  center  like  a  Dutch  door,  and  ara 
worked  with  chains  and  weights.  Sizes,  and  special  require- 
ments regulate  prices,  but  an  ordinary  door  costs  $85  F.  O. 
B.  cars  at  Chicago.  This  is  about  $1  per  sq.  ft.  Allow  from 
$10  to  $12  for  setting. 

SLIDING  DOORS  lined  all  over  with  tin,  90  cents  per  sq.  ft, 
on  cars.  Allow  freight  and  hanging. 

COAL  BUCKETS  used  in  the  old  style  stations  are  mostly  of 
a  standard  size,  and  weigh  1000  Ibs. 

COAL  BINS  are  usually  made  on  the  basis  of  40  cu.  ft.  to  the 
ton.  The  city  sealer  of  Chicago  made  out  a  table  of  26  kinds 
of  coal  ranging  from  34,30  cu.  ft.  to  the  ton  to  45.61,  Scran- 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  511 

ton  Nut  being  the  low,  and  Indiana  Block  the  high.  Coke 
required  76  cu.  ft.  Scranton  Nut  weighs  58.25  Ibs.  to  cu.  ft., 
and  Indiana  Block  43.85.  Coke,  26.30  Ibs. 

BRICK  CHIMNEY  STACKS:— The  prices  given  on  page  315 
are  for  ordinary  conditions,  and  this  list  below  is  on  the  same 
basis.  Under  800  degrees  Fahrenheit  stacks  for  boilers  are 
of  a  standard  type,  but  for  high  temperature  work  special  de- 
signs are  necessary  for  each  installation,  and  approximate 
prices  are  hard  to  set.  No  two  cases  are  alike. 

Foundations  are  not  included  on  any  of  the  sizes  given. 
(See  page  315  for  cost  of  a  large  foundation).  The  diameters 
given  below  are  the  internal  ones,  at  the  top  of  the  stack. 
As  may  be  noticed  on  page  315  the  bottom  diameter  is  always 
greater. 

Size  Cost  Size  Cost 

80x4  $1150  150x6  $3600 

90x4  1350  175x7  5150 

100x4  1600  200x9  6850 

125x5  2500 

A  comparison  with  page  315  shows  that  the  actual  cost  of 
two  sizes  was  much  more  than  given  above:  175x7  at  top 
runs  to  $7875;  and  200x9  to  $11,000.  Temperature  and  other 
factors  have  to  be  taken  into  account. 

CHIMNEY  WRECKING:— Most  wrecking  has  to  be  done  on 
the  piecemeal  system,  but  occasionally  a  quicker  method  is 
possible.  The  common  method  of  razing  lofty  chimneys  now 
is  to  underpin  one  side  with  wood  and  afterwards  set  it  on 
fire.  The  cut  is  made  according  to  the  direction  in  which 
the  chimney  is  to  fall.  Up  to  1912  one  man  had  razed'  about 
a  hundred  by  this  manner  in  England.  Some  were  from  200 
to  250  feet  high.  There  was  not  an  accident  connected  with 
the  work. 

COST  OF  BRIDGES:  In  making  a  physical  valuation  of  a 
railroad  the  buildings  are  kept  separate  from  bridges,  and* 
the  same  valuator  does  not  usually  cover  both.  It  sometimes; 
happens,  however,  that  an  approach,  small  viaduct,  etc.,  is 


612  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

so  connected  with  the  building  that  it  is  desirable  to  include 
it  in  the  total.  The  following  figures  are  for  an  approximate 
estimate  only,  and  for  such  cases,  merely  to  supply  a  hint 
for  an  emergency  in  a  field  entirely  apart  from  the  one  this 
book  deals  with.  Most  of  the  figures  are  taken  from  the 
"History  of  Bridge  Engineering,"  by  H.  G.  Tyrrell,  Evanston, 
111.,  1911. 

DEPRECIATION:  "There  are  Roman  and  other  bridges  2000 
years  old,  and  still  likely  to  last  for  some  time." 

"A  wooden  bridge  in  Thibet  was  built  in  1650,  and  lasted 
150  years.  .  .  Another  in  Bethlehem,  Pa.,  was  built  in  1816." 

"But  there  are  few  wooden  bridges  now  standing  more 
than  100  years  old.  The  normal  duration  of  those  which  were 
roofed  and  protected  from  the  weather  was  generally  30  to 
40  years,  while  the  open  ones  without  covering  would  last 
about  one-third  as  long."  But  piles  were  found  in  good  con- 
dition after  1100  years. 

"Cast  iron,  though  brittle,  and  less  reliable  than  steel,  has 
the  merit  of  little  or  no  corrosion  from  rust,  and  bridges  of 
this  material  are  still  in  use,  long  after  later  ones  of  wrought 
iron  and  steel  have  been  destroyed."  But  "the  failure  of  an 
iron  Howe  truss  in  1876  with  a  span  of  154  feet,  in  which 
accident  90  people  were  killed,  resulted  in  discarding  cast 
iron  entirely  by  the  railroad  companies,  and  four  or  five  years 
later  it  was  also  abandoned  for  highway  bridges." 

"In  1888  statistics  showed  that,  for  ten  years  or  more,  truss 
bridges  on  American  railroads  had  been  falling  at  the  rate 
of  25  per  year." 

"On  the  190,000  miles  of  railroad  in  the  United  States  there 
are  80,000  metal  bridges,  not  -including  wooden  trestles,  or 
1400  miles  in  all." 

A  table  of  viaducts  given  in  the  book  shows  lengths  from 
800  to  5327  feet,  heights  from  180  to  435,  and  weight  per  ton 
per  foot.  On  two  about  200  feet  high  and  800  long  the  weight 
is  approximately  a  ton  to  the  foot;  the  heaviest  is  2.3  tons 
to  the  lineal  foot,  314  feet  high,  and  5327  long. 


RAILROAD     FIGURES  613 

COSTS:  "In  the  1908  competition  for  the  Connecticut  Avenue 
viaduct  at  Washington,  with  steel  arch  spans  from  282  to 
410  feet,  length  of  1320  feet,  and  width  of  70  the  estimated 
cost  was  $4.00  to  $5.00  per  sq.  ft.  of  roadway. 

"On  a  steel  bridge  in  Pittsburg  with  a  400-ft  arch  and  a 
total  length  of  800  feet,  the  cost  was  $4.50  per  sq.  ft.  of 
deck." 

On  a  station  approach  detailed  as  to  cost  fn  194-0  the  fig- 
ure ran  to  $4  per  sq.  ft,  and  this  for  the  heaviest  work  with 
paving,  etc.,  complete. 

Sometimes  the  cost  is  given  by  profile  area,  as  the  cost 
naturally  varies  with  the  height.  In  two  cases  cited  in 
"Bridge  Engineering"  this  ran  to  $2.16  and  $2.20  per  sq.  ft, 
but  both  examples  are  from  European  bridges,  and  lower 
than  would  be  ordinarily  the  case  here — although  a  Burmah 
bridge  was  built  by  Americans  at  $75  per  ton,  while  the  low- 
est bid  from  Europe  ran  to  $130. 

SOLID  CONCRETE:— "The  Walnut  Lane  bridge  of  Philadel- 
phia has  a  clear  span  of  233  feet.  The  total  length  is  585 
feet,  by  60  wide.  The  cost,  $7.40  per  sq.  ft.  of  roadway.  The 
height  is  147  ft.  above  the  river. 

A  Connecticut  Avenue  bridge  in  Washington  is  120  ft^ 
above  the  valley,  has  five  semi-circular  arches  of  150-ft.  span, 
and  two  of  82.  The  total  length  is  1341  feet.  The  false,  work 
cost  $50,000,  on  which  there  was  a  salvage  of  $15,000.  The 
framing  of  the  false  work  cost  $9  per  M.  The  molded  ce- 
ment blocks  cost  $15  per  cu.  yd.  The  whole  bridge  cost 
$850,000,  equal  to  $639  per  lineal  ft,  or  $12.30  per  sq.  ft.  of 
surface." 

REINFORCED  CONCRETE  bridges  naturally  vary  greatly  in 
price  according  to  purpose,  profile,  etc.  A  light  bridge  across 
a  small  ravine  in  a  park  does  not  belong  in  the  same  class  as 
one  for  railroad  traffic.  For  pedestrians  a  light  park  bridge 
may  be  built  for  $1.50  per  sq.  ft.  of  roadway.  Several  river 
bridges  built  from  1902  to  1905  with  seven  spans  cost  about 
$2  per  sq.  ft  A  bridge  at  Dallas,  Texas,  5106  feet  long,  with 
51  arches  cost  $2.10  per  sq.  ft  of  roadway.  A  figure  of  $2.50 


614  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

per  sq.  ft.  ought  to  cover  this  class  of  bridges  under  or- 
dinary conditions. 

SOME  CONCRETE  BRIDGES:— A  concrete  bridge  708  feet 
long  was  built  in  Cleveland  for  $210,000,  or  close  to  $300  per 
lineal  foot.  It  has  one  of  the  greatest  concrete  arches  in 
the  world,  the  span  being  280  feet.  The  roadway  is  40  feet 
wide,  and  on  this  basis  the  cost  runs  to  $7.42  per  square  foot. 
There  are  two  subways  3'  3"  x  11'  6".  It  is  a  beautiful  struc- 
ture. 

In  1909  a  fine  concrete  bridge  was  thrown  across  the  Ar- 
kansas River  at  Witchita,  Kansas.  It  is  557  feet  long,  with 
a  total  width  of  56  feet  and  a  roadway  of  40.  The  cost  was 
$100,000,  or  about  $180  per  lineal  foot,  $3.21  per  square  foot 
of  width  over  all,  and  $4.48  per  sq.  ft.  of  roadway  width. 

A  beautiful  iron  and  concrete  bridge  was  built  over  the 
river  Sitter  in  Switzerland  in  1909.  It  has  a  clear  span  of 
255  feet,  and  a  total  length  of  459.  It  is  230  feet  above  water 
level.  The  bridge  proper  cost  only  $80,000,  but  wages  are 
lower  there  than  here.  In  round  figures  this  is  at  the  rate 
of  $175  per  lineal  foot. 

(See  also  pages  107  and  108  for  some  bridge  details.) 

WELLS  AND  ROOFS: — Many  shop  yards  have  large  wells 
instead  of  being  connected  to  the  city  supply.  Here  a  de- 
tailed figure  of  one  16  ft.  inside  diameter  x  24  ft.  deep  is 
given. 

Allowing  the  stone  walls  16"  thick,  the  total  distance  over 
them,  is  18'  8".  The  nearest  figure  in  the  table  of  areas  on 
page  397  is  18'  9".  This  is  close  enough.  The  area  in  even 
figures  is  276  sq.  ft,  which  multiplied  by  24  gives  a  little  over 
245  cu.  yds.  The  unit  price  for  excavation  has  to  depend 
upon  the  local  rate  of  wages,  and  the  character  of  the  soil. 
At  a  certain  depth  down  mud  might  be  reached  instead  of 
solid  earth,  and  pumping  be  necessary.  All  that  can  be  done 
is  to  use  an  average  figure,  say,  in  this  case,  of  $1.25. 

For  the  stone,  the  outside  circumference  is  58'  8",  which 
multiplied  by  the  depth  of  24  ft.,  and  the  thickness  of  16"= 


RAILROAD     FIGURES 


615 


close  to  70  cu.  yds.  Around  the  top  of  most  such  wells  the 
circle  is  squared  to  below  the  frost  line  to  provide  a  base  for 
a  roof.  At  18"  above  ground,  and  3'  6"  below  to  fill  out  from 
the  circle,  an  extra  allowance  of  8  cu.  yds.  is  necessary. 

Excavation,  245  yds  at  $1.25  $306.25 

Stonework  in  cement  mortar,  78  yds.  at  $7                    546.00 

Roof  and  level  floor  under  80.00 

Iron  ladder  24.00 

Painting  10.00 

Contractor's  profit,  10^  97.00 

$1063.25 

No  pumping  machinery  or  piping.  No  allowance  for  cost 
of  drawings.  This  is  at  the  rate  of  $44  for  each  foot  of 
depth.  But  some  wells  are  only  half  that  depth — and  in  the 
chapter  on  Measurement  we  see  that  the  Chicago  rules  allow 
four  times  the  actual  contents  for  depth  between  20  and  25 
feet;  but  only  two  and  a  half  times  between  10  and  15  feet. 
The  masonry  is  also  easier  laid. 

On  another  well  17  ft.  inside  diameter,  of  the  same  depth, 
and  with  the  same  unit  figures  the  total  is  $1139.  Per  foot 
of  depth,  $47.50.  Taken  on  the  basis  of  the  relative  squares 
of  diameters — 256  and  289 — the  figure  would  be  $1200;  in 
proportion  to  the  circumference  of  a  16  ft.  and  a  17  ft.  inter- 
nal size— 50.2  and  53.4— the  figure  is  $1131. 

On  a  12  ft.  internal  diameter  x  24  deep  with  unit  figures, 
etc.,  as  above,  the  total  is: 

Excavation,  152  cu.  yds.  at  $1.25  $190.00 

Stonework,  62  yds.  at  $7  434.00 

Roof,  etc.  60.00 

Iron  ladder  24.00 

Painting  8>0o 

Contractor's  profit,  10^  72.00 

$788.00 


616 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


The  cost  per  foot  of  depth  is  $32.83.  Using  the  squares 
of  the  diameters,  and  reducing  in  the  proportion  of  6  to  12 — • 
256  and  144 — the  total  is  $598;  in  proportion  to  the  circum- 
ference of  a  16  and  a  12  ft — 50.2  and  37.7 — the  figure  is  about 
$800. 


TANKS  AND  TOWERS 

The  following  tables  of  cost  are  from  the  catalog  of  the 
"W.  E.  Caldwell  Company,  Louisville,  Ky.  They  are  naturally 
approximate,  as  local  conditions  differ  in  many  ways.  They 
are  priced  F.  O.  B.,  knock  down  at  factory,  and  freight  and 
erection  must  be  added,  as  well  as  foundation.  A  barrel 
throughout  is  figured  at  3ly2  gallons. 


HEAVY  STEEL  TANKS  AND  COVERS 
FOP  Storage  of  Water,  Oil,  Turpentine,  Etc. 


Gallons 

Diameter 

Height 

Price.    Tank 

Price.    Cover 

1,000 

|      6  feet 

i      5  feet 

1            $42.00 

|       $11.10 

2,000 

7  feet 

7  feet 

65.40 

15.12 

3,000 

8  feet 

8  feet 

84.55 

15.72 

4,500 

10  feet 

8  feet 

109.75 

22.26 

7,000 

10  feet 

12  feet 

149.00 

22.26 

10,000 

12  feet 

12  feet 

223.15 

36.72 

15,000 

14  feet 

14  feet 

296.65 

48.54 

20,000 

16  feet 

14  feet 

349.65 

92.52 

26,000 

18  feet 

14  feet 

520.80 

112.26 

30,000 

18  feet 

16  feet 

573.85 

112.26 

40,000 

20  feet 

18  feet 

822.15 

207.90 

50,000 

22  feet 

18  feet 

936.10 

254.10 

60,000 

24  feet 

18  feet 

1,053.15 

347.82 

65,000 

24  feet 

20  feet 

1,146.60 

347.82 

80,000 

24  feet 

24  feet 

1,321.95 

347.82 

100,000     | 

26  feet 

26  feet 

1,530.90 

403.92 

The  smaller  sizes  of  tanks  are  built  of  %-inch  steel;  the  intermediate  sizes 
of  %6-inch  and  %-inch,  and  the  larger  sizes  of  %-inch  and  %6-mch. 


RAILROAD     FIGURES 


617 


GALVANIZED  STEEL  TANKS 
Galvanized   Round  Storage  Tanks 


Diameter 
Feet 

Height 
Feet 

Capacity 
Gallons 

Price 

2V2 

i             2i/2 

78 

$7.00 

3 

3 

157 

11.50 

4 

4 

338 

16.50 

4 

5 

423 

19.00 

5 

5 

675 

25.50 

6 

5 

1,000 

30.00 

6 

8 

1,600 

49.00 

8 

6 

2,400 

56.00 

10 

8 

4,500 

95.00 

12 

12 

10,000 

165.00 

14 

14 

15,000 

195.00 

16 

14 

20,000 

215.00 

16 

16 

23,000 

245.00 

These  capacities  are,  however,  not  meant  to  be  absolutely  exact,  but 
reasonably  close. 

Prices  do  not  include  covers. 

List  prices  of  all  tanks  are  based  on  No.  20  Gauge.  For  tanks  6  ft.  di- 
ameter, 6  ft.  high,  to  8  ft.  diameter,  8  ft.  high,  inclusive,  we  recommend 
No.  18  Gauge;  for  tanks  10  ft.  diameter,  8  ft.  high,  and  10  ft.  diameter, 
10  ft.  high,  No.  16  Gauge;  for  tanks  12  ft.  diameter,  10  ft.  high,  and  12ft. 
diameter,  12  ft.  high,  No.  14  Gauge.  Larger  tanks,  No.  12  and  No.  10 
Gauge.  No.  18  Gauge  increases  the  price  30  per  cent.;  No.  16,  60  per  cent.; 
No.  14,  90  per  cent.;  No.  12,  140  per  cent.;  No.  10,  200  per  cent. 

RECTANGULAR  TANKS  cost  a  little  more  than  the  above  round  ones, 
and  square  ended  rectangular  cost  more  than  round  ended. 

The  following  prices  are  for  the  steel  towers  only,  and  do 
not  thus  include  tank.  The  panels  are  all  cross  braced  with 
turn  buckle  rods.  An  iron  ladder  is  supplied,  also  the  wood 
base  for  the  tank  to  rest  on. 

PRICE  LIST  OF  TUBULAR  COLUMN  STEEL  TOWERS 


CLASS  O 

For  1000  to  1500  Gallon  Tanks. 


.s 

d 

| 

I  Jh' 

iL 

11 

It 

|o|g 

ii 

11 

w  d 
II 

1JI.S 

15 

1,592 

$59.16 

20 

2,044 

83.80 

27 

2,183 

92.12 

39 

2,822 

127.12 

$15.00 

51 

3,614 

171.74 

63 

4,438 

216.22 

75 

5,318 

263.70 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,  $20.00 


.CLASS  A 
For  2000  to  3000  Gallon  Tanks. 


G 
J3 

.SP-S 

o>  55 

Bfc 

Weight  in 
Pounds. 

Prices 
Complete. 

Estimated 
Cost  of 
Foundations 
in  Ground. 

15 
20 
27 
39 
51 
63 
75 
87 

2,428 
3,047 
3,191 
4,006 
4,939 
5,893 
6,910 
8,244 

$81.12 
114.24 
122.22 
165.68 
217.08 
267.96 
322.14 
391.06 

$20.00 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,  $20.00 


618 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


PRICE  LIST  OF  TUBULAR  COLUMN  STEEL  TOWERS- Continued. 


CLASS  B 
For  5000  to  7000  Gallon  Tanks. 

CLASS  E 
For  20,000   to   23,000  Gallon  Tanks. 

Height  in 
Feet. 

JS 

II 
II 

J 

<D  B" 

ll_ 

1  il 
I!1J 

tSto  sO 

&8Z.3 

a 

IK 

0>  o 

w^ 

£ 

il 
11 

1 
111 

•Hi 

Pu,0 

• 

i  h 

l!^l 

sin 

15 
20 
27 
39 
51 
63 
75 
87 
100 

3,385 
4,275 
4,450 
5,596 
6,888 
8,225 
9,650 
11,168 
12,597 

$109.10 
155.50 
164.64 

223.84 
292.52 
361.58 
435.02 
513.08 
584.78 

$25.00 

15 

20 
27 
39 
51 
63 
75 
87 
100 

8,220 
8,840 
10,419 
12,753 
15,236 
17,966 
20,648 
23,581 
26,663 

$278.08 
316.12 
402.72 
533.48 
671.46 
817.56 
969.08 
1,128.94 
1,296.10 

$50.00 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,  $25.00 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,  $100.00 

CLASS  C 
For   10,000   to    12,000  Gallon  Tanks. 

CLASS   F 
For  25,000   to  33,000   Gallon  Tanks. 

15 

20 
27 
39 
51 
63 
75 
87 
100 

5,014 
5,924 
6,536 
8,171 
9,983 
11,863 
13,884 
16,016 
18,274 

$156.56 
203.80 
232.72 
313.80 
405.76 
499.12 
598.90 
703.76 
814.64 

$32.50 

15 

20 
27 
39 
51 
63 
75 
87 
100 

11,508 
12,578 
14,086 
16,802 
19,667 
22,679 
25,844 
29,162 
32,636 

$368.66 
430.32 
513.10 
664.34 
822.92 
988.60 
1,161.50 
1,342.28 
1,530.50 

$60.00 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,  $60.00 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,.'$166.00 

CLASS  D 
For  15,000  to   17,000   Gallon  Tanks. 

CLASS  G 
For  35,000  to  45,000   Gallon  Tanks. 

15 
20 

27 
39 
51 
63 

75 
87 
100 

6,330 
6,986 
8,132 
10,030 
12,047 
14,185 
16,444 
18,826 
21,331 

$196.82 
230.66 
286.30 
380.38 
480.10 
585.54 
696.22 
812.86 
935.38 

$40.00 

15 

20 
27 
39 
51 
63 
75 
87 
100 

14,715 
15,379 
17,908 
21,271 
24,818 
27,547 
32,461 
36,566 
40,851 

$538.36 
578.70 
715.96 
901.10 
1,0?4.94 
1,297.34 
1,508.50 
1,728.66 
1,957.58 

$75.00 

Extra  for  I-Beam  Foundation,  $100.00 

Extra  with  I-Beam  Joists,   $110.00 

The  Foundations  in  ground  may  be  of  concrete,  brick  or  stone. 

The  heights  given  above  are  standard,  and  are  from  the  ground  or  grade 
line  to  the  bottom  of  the  tank. 

The  prices  of  Towers  include  Timber  Foundation  at  top  of  Tower  for 
Tank,  with  extension  for  Octagonal  Walk-Way  with  Iron  Hand-Rail  and 
with  Iron  Ladder,  except  Class  G,  which  has  I-Beam  caps  or  girders.  Note 
«xtra  price  for  I-Beam  Foundation. 

These  Towers  take  a  very  low  rate  of  freight. 


RAILROAD     FIGURES 


C19 


ALL-WOODEN  TOWERS  (No  Tank) 

CLASS  A.     ESTIMATED  FOUNDATIONS,  $20 


Height 
in 
Feet 

Capacities 
of  Tanks 
Towers  will 
Support 

Shipping 
Weight  Iron 
Work 
Lbs. 

Cost  Iron 
Work 

Shipping 
Weight 
Tower 
Complete 
Lbs. 

Cost  of 
Tower 
Complete 

15 

2,000 

412 

$  32.56 

3,244 

$  85.57 

39 

to 

646 

54.66 

6,070 

157.22 

63 

3,000 

920 

77.38 

9,889 

247.65 

75 

gallons 

1,082 

91.08 

12,206 

302.67 

CLASS  C.     ESTIMATED  FOUNDATIONS,  $33 


15 

7,000 

572 

44.91 

5,945 

145.38 

39 

to 

908 

•73.31 

10,211 

249.10 

63 

10,000 

1,331 

110.89 

15,611 

382.08 

75 

gallons 

1,561 

130.41 

18,481 

452.20 

CLASS  E.     ESTIMATED  FOUNDATIONS,  $50 


15 

15,000 

796 

62.28 

9,568 

227.18 

39 

to 

1,197 

98.43 

15,912 

377.23 

63 

20,000 

1,768 

140.18 

23.620 

555.78 

75 

gallons 

1,925 

165.26 

27,965 

655.38 

CLASS  F.     ESTIMATED  FOUNDATIONS,  $60 


15 

20,000 

988 

76.96 

13,053 

306.63 

27 

to 

1,213 

95.70 

17,085 

398.35 

51 
75 

25,000 
gallons 

1,806 
2,484 

148.15 
206.48 

26,576 
37,590 

621.35 
877.75 

620 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


GRAVITY  TANKS  TO  SUIT  INSURANCE  REQUIREMENTS 

These  prices  are  for  tanks  built  to  suit  the  requirements  of 
either  the  Factory  Mutual  Insurance  Companies  or  any  of  the 
Stock  Companies.  Such  tanks  are  required  to  be  built  of  a 
certain  size  for  a  given  capacity  and  to  be  provided  with, 
round  iron  (not  steel)  hoops  of  a  specified  number  and  size. 
They  must  be  constructed  of  2^-inch  material  if  of  20,000 
gallons  or  less,  and  of  3-inch  for  larger  sizes. 

If  furnished  complete,  the  tanks  must  be  provided  with  a 
Shingled  Conical  Roof  covered  with  Shingles,  Rubberoid  or 
Metal,  and  an  Inside  Flat  Cover  for  frost  proofing,  together 
with  an  Indicator  or  Tank  Register,  an  Inside  Wooden  Ladder, 
an  Outside  Iron  Ladder  extending  three  feet  above  tank  with 
ends  curved  over,  and  sub-joists  or  bed  pieces  for  the  support 
of  the  bottom  of  tank. 

Towers  are  not  included,  as  these  tanks  quite  often  rest 
on  the  top  o-f  brick  walls  clear  of  the  roof. 


Tank  with   Plain  Conical 

£ 

g>  • 

Cover,  Cypress  Shingles,  Flat 
Cover,  Ladders,  Indicator  and 

d 

II 

it 

JO'S 

if 

& 

Dunnage. 

11 

31 

i£ 

if 

Gallons. 

Ft.    In. 

Ft.    In. 

Lbs. 

£8 

5,000 

10.0 

11.4 

5,451 

$245.86 

7,500 

11.6 

11.4 

6,819 

291.53 

10,000 

12.6 

13.4 

8,236 

355.86 

12,000 

13.6 

13.4 

9,259 

390.01 

15,000 

14.0 

15.4 

10,615 

453.41 

20,000 

16.0 

15.4    * 

12,589 

535.24 

25,000 

16.0 

17.4 

15,494 

726.44 

30,000 

18.0 

17.4 

18,193 

809.83 

40,000 

19.6 

19.4 

22,212 

1,031.79 

50,000 

22.0 

19.4 

26,451 

1,226.20 

60,000 

24.0 

19.4 

30,936 

1,441.46 

75,000 

24.0 

23.4 

36,956 

1,850.72 

100,000 

28.0 

23.4 

47,380 

2,374.72 

RAILROAD     FIGURES  621 

KEY  TO    PRICELIST   OF   ROUND   WOODEN    TANKS 

LIST  PRICES  are  for  Round  tanks  without  a  top  head  or 
cover.  They  are  based  on  2-inch  material  for  tanks  up  to  and 
including  20'  0"  in  diameter,  and  for  3-inch  above  that. 
THICKNESS  of  Cypress  Tanks  furnished  is  1%,  2,  2%  and 
3-inch.  Of  White  Pine  and  Poplar  is  2-inch,  and  tanks  of 
these  woods  are  not  supplied  over  16  feet  in  diameter. 

Of  Yellow  Pine  is  2,  3,  4,  5,  6  and  8-inch. 

We  recommend  1^-inch  Cypress  for  tanks  as  large  as  8  ft. 
0  in.  in  diameter  and  8  ft.  0  in.  high,  and  it  is  often  used  in 
much  larger  tanks.  Two-inch  material  is  used  right  along  in 
tanks  16  and  18  feet  in  diameter,  and  sometimes  20  feet.  We 
advise  21/&-inch,  however,  for  17  to  20  feet  diameter,  and  3- 
inch  for  larger  sizes. 

SHIPPING  WEIGHTS  for  tanks  20  feet  in  diameter  and  less 
are  based  on  2-inch  material  for  either  Cypress,  Poplar,  Fir 
or  White  Pine.    1^-inch  Cypress  tanks  weigh  about  20%  less; 
21/2  and  3-inch  about  40%  and  60%   more  respectively. 
Yellow  Pine  tanks  weigh  about  40%  more  than  Cypress. 


622 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


LIST  PRICES  OF   ROUND  TANKS. 
Cypress,   White  Pine,   Yellow   Pine,   Fir   and    Poplar. 


Number 

Gallons 

Inside 
Diameter 

Inside 
Depth 

Swlgh.g 

Price 

Ft.  Li. 

Ft.  In. 

Lbs. 

Louisville 

1 

127 

3.0 

2.5 

199 

$11.12 

2 

158 

3.0 

221 

12.38 

3 

180 

3.5 

251 

14.04 

4 

174 

3  (\ 

2.5 

234 

13.08 

5 

216 

3.0 

260 

14.58 

6 

246 

3.5 

295 

16.48 

7 

226 

4  0 

2.5 

274 

14.70 

8 

281 

3.0 

304 

16.34 

9 

321 

3.5 

344 

18.46 

10 

413 

4.5 

404 

21.76 

11 

288 

4  « 

2.5 

314 

16.90 

12 

357 

3.0 

346 

18.66 

13 

407 

3.5 

392 

21.04 

14 

526 

4.5 

458 

24.66 

15 

501 

5  0 

3.5 

443 

22.86 

16 

587 

4.0 

479 

24.74 

17 

648 

4.5 

521 

26.90 

18 

794 

5.5 

608 

31.32 

19 

317 

6  0 

1.5 

357 

17.68 

20 

422 

2.0 

417 

20.60 

21 

527 

2.5 

461 

22.80 

22 

720 

3.5 

562 

27.82 

23 

845 

4.0 

606 

30.02 

24 

934 

4.5 

658 

32.54 

25 

1,145 

5.5 

768 

37.92 

26 

1,356 

6.5 

872 

43.04 

27 

1,567 

7.5 

980 

48.34 

28 

1,778 

8.5 

1,068 

52.74 

29 

1,989 

9.5 

1,176 

58.08 

30 

1,096 

6  6 

4.5 

721 

35.64 

31 

1,344 

5.5 

839 

41.44 

32 

*  1,592 

6.5 

950 

46.90 

33 

1,840 

7.5 

1,069 

52.72 

34 

2,088 

8.5 

1,163 

57.42 

35 

2,336 

9.5 

1,381 

63.22 

36 

1,271 

7  0 

4.5 

790 

39.06 

37 

1.659 

5.5 

917 

45.24 

38 

1,847 

6.5 

1,042 

51.40 

39 

2,135 

7.5 

1,162 

57.30 

40 

2,423 

8.5 

1,271 

62.68 

41 

2,711 

9.5 

1,404 

69.18 

42 

1,790 

7  « 

5.5 

991 

49.00 

43 

*  2,120 

6.5 

1,128 

55.56 

44 

2,450 

7.5 

1,255 

61.82 

45 

2,780 

7  0 

8.5 

1,371 

67.56 

46 

3,110 

9.5 

1,513 

74.50 

47 

563 

8  0 

1.5 

545 

26.90 

48. 

751 

2.0 

613 

30.28 

4<r 

939 

2.5 

669 

33.08 

50 

1,294 

3.5 

815 

40.18 

51 

1,656 

4.5 

938 

46.30 

52 

2,031 

5.5 

1,082 

53.28 

Sizes  printed  in  black  type  are  the  standard  sizes  for  the  capacity  mentioned. 
'Sizes  marked  with  a  star  preceding  are  the  standard  sizes  used  with  towers. 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


623 


LIST   PRICES  OF  ROUND  TANKS- Continued. 


Number 

Gallons 

Inside 
Diameter 

Inside 
Depth 

Shipping 
Weight 

Price 

Ft.  In. 

Ft.  In. 

Lbs. 

Louisville 

53 

2,406 

8.0 

6.5 

1,217 

$59.96 

54 

*2,781 

7.5 

1,361 

66.96 

55 

3.156 

! 

8.5 

1,490 

73.30 

56 

3,531 

1 

9.5 

1,669 

81.90 

57 

4,281 

1 

11.5 

1,971 

96.56 

58 

2,299 

8{6 

5.5 

1,163 

57.28 

59 

2,723 

6.5 

1,306 

64.30 

60 

3,148 

' 

7.5 

1,459 

71,76 

61 

3,o72 

•  < 

8.5 

1,597 

78.56 

62 

3,696 

• 

9.5 

1,784 

87.48 

63 

4,844 

1 

11.5 

2,106 

103.10 

64 

2,577 

9.0 

5.5 

1,259 

61.92 

65 

3,053 

M 

6.5 

1,420 

69.74 

66 

3,529 

" 

7.5 

1,580 

77.56 

67 

4,OO4 

" 

8.5 

1,727 

84.80 

68 

4,479 

" 

9.5 

1,865 

93.36 

69 

5,429 

" 

11.5 

2,242 

109.72 

70 

881 

10.0 

1.5 

758 

37.40 

71 

1,175 

H 

2.0 

862 

42.44 

72 

1,468 

« 

2.5 

934 

46.04 

73 

2,006 

" 

3.5 

1,113 

54.70 

74 

2,592 

•« 

4.5 

1,255 

61.80 

75 

3,182 

" 

5.5 

1,450 

71.26 

76 

3,770 

•< 

6.5 

1,631 

80.02 

77 

4,357 

M 

7.5 

1,809 

88.64 

78 

4,945 

" 

8.5 

1,969 

96.56 

79 

*5,532 

" 

9.5 

2,165 

106.00 

80 

6,706 

" 

11.5 

2,539 

124.08 

81 

7,880 

" 

13.5 

2,897 

141.50 

82 

6,100 

10.6 

9.5 

2,290 

112.08 

83 

1,269 

12.0 

1.5 

1,004 

49.66 

84 

1,692 

2.0 

1,133 

55.88 

85 

2,115 

«» 

2.5 

1,217 

60.08 

86 

2,891 

" 

3.5 

1,431 

70.50 

87 

3,737 

« 

4.5 

1,623 

80.00 

88 

4,582 

<* 

5.5 

1,837 

90.44 

89 

5,428 

" 

6.5 

2,050 

100.86 

90 

6,274 

" 

7.5 

2,284 

112.24 

91 

7,110 

i 

8.5 

2,479 

121.76 

92 

7.956 

« 

9.5 

2,715 

133.16 

93 

9,658 

' 

11.5 

3,164 

154.96 

94 

11,350 

i 

13.5 

3,637 

177.84 

95 

13,042 

1 

15.5 

4,154 

202.62 

96 

7,726 

12.6 

8.5 

2,602 

127.78 

»7 

8,644 

M 

9.5 

2,844 

139.68 

98 

*10,481 

" 

11.5 

3316 

162.38 

99 

12,317 

M 

13.5 

3,717 

186.10 

100 

14,153 

" 

15.5 

4,345 

211.88 

101 

10,080 

13.6 

9.5 

3,122 

153.04 

102 

12,220 

11.5 

3,650 

178.52 

Sizes  printed  in  black  type  are  the  standard  sizes  for  the  capacity  mentioned. 

*Sizes  marked  with  a  star  preceding  are  the  standard   sizes   used  with  towers. 

NOTE. — Tanks    14.0   and    16.0    foot    diameter   are    usually  built    of    2    inch 

material  and  often   18-foot  diameter  tanks,  but  2l/i   inch  is  advised  for  tanks 

over  16  feet  diameter  to  20  feet  inclusive,  and  3  inch  for  larger  sizes. 


624  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

LIST  PRICES  OF  ROUND  TANKS- Continued. 


No. 

Gallons 

Bottom 
Diameter 

Inside 
Depth 

Shipping 
Weight 
Lbi. 

Price 
f.  o.  b. 
Louisville 

Ft.  In. 

Ft.  In. 

103 

8,540 

14;«° 

7.5 

2,766 

$135.74 

104 

9,691 

8.5 

2,990 

146.78 

105 

10,843 

M 

9.5 

3,264 

159.96 

106 

13,146 

" 

11.5 

3,835 

187.38 

107 

*  15,449 

M 

13.5 

4,382 

213.76 

108 

16,600 

" 

15.5 

5,038 

245.18 

9 

109 

11,631 

14.6 

9.5 

3,403 

166.78 

110 

14,102 

11.5 

3,996 

195.24 

111 

16,573 

" 

13.5 

4,560 

222.40 

112 

21,761 

15.6 

15.5 

5,705 

277.04 

113 

11,155 

16.0 

7.5 

3,308 

162.12 

114 

12,659 

M 

8.5 

3,561 

174.56 

115 

14,163 

M 

9.5 

3,872 

189.54 

116 

17,171 

" 

11.5 

4,578 

223.10 

117 

*20,179 

" 

13.5 

5,319 

258.36 

118 

23,187 

« 

15.5 

6,062 

293.70 

119 

26,195 

M 

17.5 

6,827 

329.92 

120 

29,203 

" 

19.5 

7,661 

369.12 

121 

15,988 

17;<0 

9.4 

4,266 

208.26 

122 

19,384 

11.4 

5,017 

244.10 

123 

22,639 

" 

13.4 

5,771 

280.00 

124 

*26,035 

" 

15.4 

6,532 

317.28 

125 

29,431 

" 

17.4 

7,398 

357.00 

126 

18,924 

18/(0 

9.4 

4,672 

228.42 

127 

21,730 

11.4 

5,442 

265.38 

128 

25,378 

" 

13.4 

6,247 

303.92 

129 

29,184 

1    " 

15.4 

7.128 

346.68 

130 

*32,990 

•« 

17.4 

8.050 

389.48 

131 

36,796 

" 

19.4 

9,126 

439.62 

132 

34,252 

19.6 

15.4 

7,828 

379.60 

133 

38,726 

17.4 

8,927 

431.06 

134 

*43,200 

" 

19.4 

10,023 

482.26 

135 

22,130 

20.0 

9.4 

5,417 

264.40 

136 

26,830 

" 

11.4 

6,270 

305.22 

137 

31,334 

<« 

13.4 

7,230 

350.74 

138 

36,035 

" 

15.4 

8,227 

397.82 

139 

40,725 

<< 

17.4 

9,417 

453.12 

140 

45,435 

19.4 

10,558 

506.32 

Sizes  printed  in  black  type  are  the  standard  sizes  for  the  capacity  mentioned. 
'Sizes  marked  with  a  star  preceding  are  the  standard  sizes  used  with  towers. 


CHAPTER  XL. 


GRAIN   ELEVATORS. 

In  a  physical  valuation  of  railroads  there  are  many  grain 
elevators  to  be  taken  care  of,  and  it  is  quite  an  undertaking 
to  get  at  the  actual  cost  of  reproduction,  especially  if  time  is 
limited.  There  are  many  types  of  these  structures.  The 
quantities  and  figures  given  in  this  chapter  belong  to  the  or- 
dinary wood  elevator  only. 

These  figures  are  given  here  for  a  check  when  estimating 
other  buildings  of  a  similar  nature,  that  can  not  be  so  de- 
tailed on  account  of  a  lack  of  plans,  physical  difficulties  in 
getting  below  foundations,  or  of  reaching  in  the  air,  or  the 
impossibility  of  finding  the  thickness  of  cribbing,  etc.  In 
such  cases  even  an  approximate  figure  is  valuable  as  a 
check. 

NO.  1: — The  ground  size  is  98'  x  200',  but  the  cribbing  above 
is  only  72'  x  200'.  The  capacity  is  1,000,000  bushels.  A  dryer 
building,  small  power-house,  and  shop  are  attached. 

Valuation  of  No.  1. 

Grading  and  excavation  (no  hauling)  7100  yds.,  30c.  $2100.00 

Concrete  footings,  1071  yds.,  $6.50  6962.00 

Pier  stones,  29,740  cu.  ft,  30c 8922.00 

Rubble,  3500  yds.,  $6    21,000.00 

Brickwork,  134,000,  $12    1608.00 

Cut   stone    300.00 

Concrete  reservoir,  50,000  gall 1500.00 

Brick  and  pipe  tunnels    850.00 

Steel  boot  tanks    (8)    1100.00 

Heavy  timber,  dimension  and  boards,  l,07a,000  ft. 

B.    M.    $42 45,066.00 

Cribbing,  1,208,000  ft  .B.  M.,  $31    37,448.00 

625 


626  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Doors  and  windows,  198  openings,  $10   1980.00 

Roofing  and  wall  covering,  iron,  1072  sqs.,  $6  6432.00 

Gutters  and  downspouts  400.00 

Floors  and  roof  of  power-house  900.00 

Gamers,  scale  hoppers,  and  leg  casings  2900.00 

Scales — 8  at  1000  bushels  each  . '. 3300.00 

Distributing  spouts,  car-spouts,  and   bin-spouts    . . .  2900.00 

Passenger  elevator  and  stairs 800.00 

Office,  and  heating  same  300.00 

Hardware,  blacksmith  work,  and  painting 900.00 

Power  transmission  machinery   13,000.00 

Grain  handling  and  cleaning  machinery   12,000.00 

Dust  collecting  system   4600.00 

Electric   wiring  and   signals    560.00 

Staiidpipe,  hose,  and  water  barrels   540.00 

Hale  sprinkler  system   820.00 

Journal  alarm  system   1300.00 

Hess  Dryer,  and  building 16,000.00 

Workshop  and  tools  550.00 

Boilers,  (3)  60"  x  16',  and  setting 4100.00 

Feed  pumps  (2)  and  heater  400.00 

Deep  well  pump  and  well 360.00 

Corliss  engine,  18  x  42 4400.00 

Automatic  engine  8'  x  10  ' 560.00 

Automatic  engine,  7'  x  8'  400.00 

Standard  pump,  16'  x  8'  x  12  660.00 

Steam  and  water  piping 2400.00 

10  Kilowatt  generator  and  switchboard   550.00 

Liability  insurance  for  construction   1000.00 


$211,868.00 

Contractor's  profit  is  included.  The  rate  of  depreciation  on 
such  elevators  is  3  per  cent,  per  annum.  A  special  deprecia- 
tion of  $20,000  was  allowed  on  this  elevator  on  account  of  its 
leaning  out  of  plumb.  (See  also  pages  155,  156,  303,  312.) 


GRAIN     ELEVATORS  627 

Valuation  of  No.  2. 

In  this  elevator  the  ground  size  contains  29,850  sq.  ft.;  the 
power  house,  2840;  the  stack,  14'  x  14'  at  base  x  165'  high; 
there  is  a  frame  shop  of  800  sq.  ft.;  an  office  with  500  sq.  ft; 
a  dryer  building  with  490  sq.  ft.  x  50'  high;  the  capacity  is 
1,500,000  bushels;  the  cost  per  bushel  approximately  21  cents. 
The  sq.  ft.  costs  are  given  on  pages  303,  304. 

Excavation,  6256  cu.  yds.  at  30c $1877.00 

Piling,  98,400  lineal  ft.,  30c 29,520.00 

Concrete  footings,  790  cu.  yds.,  $6.50   5135.00 

Cap  stones,  1200  cu.  ft,  35c 420.00 

Pier  stones,  68,200  cu.  ft,  30c 20,460.00 

Rubble,  526  yds.,  $6 3156.00 

Concrete  floors,  800  sq.  yds.,  $1.80  1440.00 

Power-house 6000.00 

Stack 5000.00 

Shop  and  tools 500.00 

Office  building  600.00 

Vault 650.00 

Dryer  building,  dryer  and  purifier   13,000.00 

Steel  reservoir,  50,000  galls 1800.00 

Timber,  dimension,  boards,  spikes,  etc.,  789,000  ft 

B.  M.,  $42 33,138.00 

Cribbing  and  spikes,  2,987,000  ft  B.  M.  $31 92,597.00 

Doors  and  windows   1731.00 

Rods,  castings,  blacksmith  work  and  hardware   . .      4000.00 

Roofing  and  iron  covering   8850.00 

Gutters  and  downspouts  516.00 

Structural  and  sheet  steel  900.00 

Passenger  elevator  and  stairs 1000.00 

Steam  heating 400.00 

Posts  and  steel  beams  for  scales   . . 2200.00 

Liability  insurance  for  construction   .  1500.00 


$236,390.00 


628  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Equipment. 

Steel  boot  tanks  (6)   $1800.00 

Garners,  scale  hoppers,  and  leg  casings  3045.00 

1400  bushel  scales  (6)   3000.00 

Spouts   3705.00 

Power  transmission  machinery   19,932.00 

Grain  handling  and  cleaning  machinery 11,610.00 

Dust  collecting  system  3900.00 

Electric  wiring  and  signals  715.00 

Standpipe,  hose  and  water  barrels   1650.00 

Sprinkler  system,  G.  F.  E.  Co 10,000.00 

Boilers  (4)  set,  60"  x  16'  6000.00 

Feed  pump,  heater  and  tank   900.00 

Journal  alarm  system  1600.00 

Corliss  engine,  24  x  48  5000.00 

Underwriters'   Fire  Pumps,   (2)   100  galls 2640.00 

Electric  generator,  engine  and  switches   935.00 

Steam  and  water  piping,  etc 2600.00 


$79,032.00 
Total  for  entire  plant,  $315,422.00. 

SMALL  ELEVATOR: — This  one  is  given  as  a  contrast  to  the 
large  ones.  The  cost  per  bushel  is  a  good  deal  higher,  but 
the  sq.  ft.  cost  is  less.  The  cost  per  bushel  is  44c.;  per  sq. 
ft.,  $6.51;  per  cu.  ft,  25  cents. 

Elevator— 26'x26'  26'  Studding,  10,000  bus.,  20  H.  P. 
Boiler,  15  H.  P.  Engine,  2  Elevators,  Corn 
Sheller,  Corn  Cleaner,  Grain  Separator,  Shipping 
Scales,  Office  and  Wagon  Scales,  Well  and 
Pump  $4,400.00 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


SQUARE    FOOT  COSTS. 

APPROXIMATION: — On  page  300  it  is  pointed  out  that  only 
approximate  figures  can  be  obtained  by  either  the  square  or 
cubic  foot  method;  but  even  these  are  very  useful,  especially 
in  physical  valuations.  All  the  city  of  Cleveland  was  valued 
on  the  square  foot  system.  It  is  by  far  more  accurate  than 
the  guessing  contest  used  by  assessors  over  all  the  country. 
EXCEPTIONS. — But  too  much  reliance  is  often  placed  solely 
on  this  system.  It  needs  to  be  checked  by  all  ways  we  can 
think  of,  sometimes  including  the  cubic  foot  one,  and  always 
by  our  experience.  Thus,  I  ran  across  two  passenger  stations 
in  1910  built  from  the  same  plan  and  specifications,  and  alike 
in  every  respect  excepting  one:  the  first  had  straight  outside 
walls,  and  the  other  had  a  "jog"  of  4  ft.  x  40,  or  160  sq.  ft. 


As  the  cost  of  the  first  ran  to  $4  per  sq.  ft.  when1  estimated 
in  detail,  it  would  have  seemed  reasonable  to  make  the  other 
$640  less,  but  the  difference  came  to  only  about  $200.  With 
such  rectangular  or  square  jogs  the  only  gain  is  in  the  floors, 
ceiling,  and  the  roof.  The  outside  walls  have  the  same  num- 
ber of  lineal  feet,  and  so  has  the  cornice. 

We  often  see  dwellings  recessed  in  the  same  way,  and  the 
porch  put  in  the  jog.  The  gain  as  compared  with  a  straight 
line  plan  is  never  in  proportion  to  the  loss  of  floor  space,  for 
the  walls  cost  just  as  much.  Of  course  there  is  a  saving  in 
the  cubic  feet  enclosed,  and  this  counts  in  the  heating. 

In  the  case  of  the  two  stations  the  jog  might  have  been  10 
x  40,  and  at  the  unit  rate  of  the  straight-line  one  this  would 
have  made  a  valuation  of  $1600  less,  but  such  an  undue  re- 

629 


630  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

duction  is  checked  by  noting  that  the  outside  walls  are  of  the 
same  length  in  both  types.  All  factors  have  to  be  watched. 
In  another  case  of  the  same  nature,  applied  to  a  large 
blacksmith  shop,  the  Annex  if  taken  alone  was  worth  $2  per 
sq.  ft.,  while  the  main  structure  that  seemed  to  be  far  more 
expensive,  was  set  at  $1.60.  But  the  Annex  for  650  sq.  ft.  of 
floor  space  required  82  lineal  feet  of  wall,  while  the  main 
building  with  6000  measured  only  320  ft.  around.  Here,  then, 
in  both  cases,  is  one  check — the  lineal  ft.  of  outside  wall. 

CUBING: — Then,  with  cubing  to  get  a  check  on  a  valuation, 
it  is  clear  that  the  smaller  the  building  the  higher  ought  to  be 
the  unit  price.  Take,  for  illustration,  two  1-story  buildings, 
to  reduce  the  problem  to  an  elementary  proposition,  the  one 
10'  x  10'  x  10',  and  the  other  20'  x  20'  x  10..  There  are  100 
sq.  ft.  in  the  first,  and  400  in  the  second;  and  1000  cubic  ft, 
and  4000.  So  far  the  parallel  goes  accurately  enough;  but  we 
find  that  it  takes  40  lineal  feet  of  expensive  outside  wall  to 
enclose  100  sq.  ft.  of  space;  while  80  lineal  ft.  instead  of  en- 
closing only  200,  take  in  twice  as  much. 

SIZE  UNITS: — An  interesting  article  from  data  compiled  by 
Charles  T.  Main  was  given  in  the  Building  Age  for  July,  1910, 
upon  this  subject  of  difference  of  cost  according  to  size.  The 
cost  decreases  as  the  width  is  increased.  This  shows 
one  more  feature  that  those  who  rely  exclusively  upon 
the  square  foot  method  seldom  think  of.  In  fact,  the  more 
the  subject  is  studied  the  clearer  it  becomes  that  the  only  ac- 
curate way  is  to  take  off  a  bill  of  material,  and  figure  that 
and  labor  at  current  rates.  This  is  not  necessary  for  or- 
dinary buildings  when  valued  for  assessment  or  physical  pur- 
poses with  rate  making  in  view.  Cleveland,  St.  Paul,  Phila- 
delphia, Columbus,  O.,  Springfield,  Joliet,  East  St.  Louis,  Den- 
ver, Houston,  had  all  been  valued  on  the  sq.  ft.  method  up 
to  1912. 

The  figures  from  the  Main  article  are  based  on  a  3-story 
building  with  30,000  square  feet  on  each  floor,  for  illustration, 
but  the  principle  is  not  tied  to  this  particular  size: 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS  631 

Cost  per  sq.  ft  Outside  wall 
Size                           in  cents  in  feet 

50  x  600  99  1300 

75x400  87  950 

100x300  83  800 

125x240  80  •  730 

"The  exact  figures  will  vary,  but  the  relative  values  will 
remain  practically  unchanged. 

"The  minimum  cost  per  sq.  ft.  is  reached  with  a  4-story 
building.  A  3-story  costs  a  trifle  more  than  a  4-story,  a  1- 
story  is  the  most  expensive,  because: 

a.  The  cost  of  foundations  does  not  increase  in  proportion 
to  the  number  of  stories. 

b.  The  roof  is  the  same  for  1-story  as  for  more. 

c.  The  cost  of  columns,  piers,  and  castings  does  not  vary 
much  per  story  as  the  stories  are  added. 

d.  As  the  number  of  stories  increases,  the  cost  of  the  walls, 
owing  to  increased   thickness,  increases   in  a  greater  ratio 
than  the  number  of  stories,  and  this  item  is  the  one  which  in 
a  4-story  building  offsets  the  saving  in  foundations  and  roof." 

SAVING: — According  to  the  table  an  investor  by  building  a 
3-story  structure  125  x  240  instead  of  50  x  600  would  save 
about  $17,000.  In  the  suburbs  of  cities,  or  in  country  towns, 
where  many  manufacturers  are  now  locating,  land  might  be 
acquired  to  suit  the  one  size  about  as  cheaply  as  the  other. 

DATA  WANTED: — This  opens  up  a  wide  field  for  discussion. 
There  ought  to  be  a  thorough  investigation  by  some  govern- 
ment body  or  responsible  society  to  find  the  economical 
sizes,  number  of  stories,  heights  of  ceilings,  of  buildings  of 
all  kinds,  and  to  give  a  description  of  the  best  qualities  and 
quantities  of  materials  that  are  often  wasted  as  things  now 
are.  For  example,  it  is  pointed  out  on  page  300  that  the  H 
school  has  been  practically  adopted  by  the  city  of  New  York 
as  the  most  economical,  and  this  after  long  experimenting. 
As  may  be  noted  in  this  chapter,  the  cost  of  the  Boston 
schools,  like  that  of  all  cities,  is  rising  very  high.  The  tax- 
payers there  are  objecting,  and  those  in  authority  are  trying 
to  change  from  the  first  to  the  second  class  of  construction 


632  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

for  the  sake  of  economy.  These,  and  the  mills  investigated 
by  Mr.  Main,  are  but  two  classes  of  buildings.  There  are 
many  others. 

TOTAL  VALUE: — As  an  investment,  of  course,  the  problem 
is  further  complicated  by  the  cost  of  the  lot.  A  4-story 
building,  according  to  the  figures  just  given,  is  the  most 
economical  for  some  purposes;  but  it  has  been  found  that  an 
8-story,  fireproof  one  pays  better  returns  upon  the  invest- 
ment if  the  lot  is  high-priced.  With  a  lot  costing  $40,000,  for 
example,  each  fioor  in  a  4-story  structure  has  an  investment 
of  $10,000  upon  which  returns  are  expected,  while  an  8- 
story  has  only  $5000.  With  modern  hoisting  apparatus  there 
is  no  such  vital  difference  between  the  cost  of  the  high 
stories  over  the  low  ones  when  we  get  above  ground  level, 
although  every  floor  above  the  second  costs  more  than  the 
one  below;  yet  the  lot  investment  decreases  in  proportion  to 
the  number  of  stories  by  which  the  price  is  divided.  Heavier 
foundations  and  walls  are  necessary,  but  even  9"  of  extra 
thickness  of  common  brick  in  a  building  measuring  200  ft. 
around,  for  an  ordinary  story,  is  only  about  $350.  On  high- 
priced  land  this  is  a  small  investment. 

SKYSCRAPERS:— The  sq.  ft.  cost  allowed  in  the  Cleveland 
assessment  for  this  class  of  buildings  is  given  further  on. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  $3.50  is  added  per  unit,  per  story.  It 
really  costs  more  on  the  upper  stories,  however.  It  has  been 
estimated  that  the  rentable — not  the  constructive — cost  per 
sq.  ft.  rises  from  $5.25  for  the  second  and  third  floors  to  $6.30 
for  the  fourth,  and  so  on  increasing  to  $124  for  the  sixty- 
fourth.  The  ground  floor  and  basement  combined  are  put 
at  $10. 

"The  construction  cost  of  the  ground  floor  is  $20  per  rent- 
able sq.  ft.  The  ratio  of  rentable  area  in  a  20-story  sky- 
scraper to  the  total  ground  area  is  60  per  cent.  The  construc- 
tion cost  per  rentable  sq.  ft.  of  the  second  story  is  $18." 

SKYSCRAPER  PERCENTAGES:— On  pages  34-38,  and  317, 
318  there  are  percentages  given  for  various  classes  of  build- 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS 


633 


ings.    The  figures  below  are  for  a  modern  office  building  of 
the  skyscraper  class,  built  in  1911. 

Cost        Per  cent 

Wrecking    $     4,158.00  .33 

Excavating   47,990.00  3.79 

Shoring 34,876.00  2.74 

Steel  work   156,563.00  12.33 

Stone,  cement,  and  concrete   95,525.00  7.52 

Fireproofing 38,865.00  3.07 

Brickwork   56,222.00  4.44 

Metal  lathing 9,100.00  .71 

Plastering  39,560.00  3.11 

Millwork    86,100.00  6.77 

Carpenter  work 117,000.00  9.22 

Terra  cotta 40,000.00  3.15 

Heating    75,330.00  5.93 

Elevators  106,200.00  8.36 

Electric  work 40,500.00  3.17 

Sheet  metal   21,840.00  1.72 

Plumbing  51,520.00  4.06 

Painting 20,335.00  1.60 

Waterproofing   9,500.00  .75 

Ornamental  iron 75,900.00  5.98 

Tile  and  marble   90,000.00  7.09 

Weatherstripping    1,025.00  .08 

Vaults 24,750.00  1.94 

Hardware    1,500.00  .12 

Vacuum  systems    5,000.00  .36 

Mail  chute 2,250.00  .18 

Revolving  doors,  etc 5,700.00  .45 

Steel  lockers   8,335.00  .66 

Refrigerating  machinery 3,827.00  .30 

Roofing 950.00  .07 


$1,270.421.00  100.00 

Architect's  percentage  has  to  be  added;  and  some  account- 
ants would  want  an  allowance  for  interest  on  money  during 


634  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

construction.  The  figures  are  useful  and  interesting  as 
showing  relative  costs  of  a  modern  structure. 
SUMMARY: — A  general  summary  of  the  economical  sizes 
of  buildings  is  very  desirable  from  dwellings  to  skyscrapers. 
There  is  not  so  much  difference  between  the  cost  of  a  1-story 
and  a  2-story  house  containing  the  same  number  of  rooms. 
If  a  high  basement  is  used  the  1-story  type  costs  too  much 
for  this  part,  and  the  roof  that  requires  even  a  greater  area; 
while  the  2-story  has  only  about  half  the  space  to  cover. 

CLEVELAND   VALUATION. 

The  following  sq.  ft.  unit  prices  were  used  in  the  1910  valu- 
ation of  the  above  city.  There  are  so  many  types  of  build- 
ings classified  that  the  list  suits  for  any  city.  Thus,  there 
are  42  kinds  of  residences:  32  of  flats  and  tenements;  29  of 
store  buildings,  hotels,  banks,  halls,  etc.;  40  types  of  fac- 
tories, warehouses,  mills,  etc.;  and  25  of  the  highest  class  of 
office  buildings. 

The  following  schedules  were  used  as  the  square  foot 
value  of  the  buildings: 

SCHEDULE  NO.  1:— Single  house,  one  side  of  double  house, 
one  of  row,  duplex  house. 

Cheap  construction,    set  on    posts,   only  small    cellar,  no 
plumbing  except  kitchen  sink  and  W.  C.     Plain  pine  finish. 
Class  1 — 

1-story  1%-story  2-story  2^-story  3-story 

Frame    $1.00         $1.50         $1.80         $2.10         $2.60 

Brick    1.20  1.70  2.00  2.30  2.80 

Brick  or  stone  foundation  with  full  basement,  with  furnace, 
Class  2— 

1-story  1^-story  2-story  2%-story  3-story 

Frame    1.60         $2.10         $2.40         $2.70         $3.20 

Brick    2.30  2.30  2.60  2.90  3.40 

Same  as  above,  except  medium  porches  (150  sq.  ft),  laun- 
dry trays,  two  one-story  bay  windows.  Plain  pine  finish  and 
plain  fixtures;  open  or  closed  plumbing. 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS  635 

Class  3— 

1-story  1^-story  2-story  3-story 

Frame   $2.20         $2.70  $3.00  $3.90 

Brick    2.40           2.90  3.20  4.20 

Same  as  above,  except  plain  hardwood  finish.     Plain  elec- 
tric or  gas  fixtures;  more  than  two  one-story  bay  windows; 
large  porches,  open  plumbing;    two  baths. 
Class  4 — 

1-story  1^-story  2-story  3-story 

Frame   $3.00         $3.80         $4.50         $5.60 

Brick    3.20  4.00  4.80  6.00 

Same   as  above,  except  two  or  more    baths;     ornamental 
trimming    and    cornices;    ornamental   inside    finish   and    fix- 
tures; hot  water  or  steam  heat. 
Class  5 — 

l^-story  2-story  3-story 

Frame    $5.30         $6.30         $8.00 

Brick  or  stone 6.00  7.00         10.00 

SCHEDULE    NO.     2:— Flats    for    families,    tenements    and 
apartments. 

Cheap  construction,  foundation  piers  or  wall  in  trenches, 
small  cellar,  no  plumbing  except  for  kitchen  and  W.  C. 
Class  1 — 

2-story  3-story  4-story 

Frame    $1.90         $2.80         $3.70 

Brick    2.10  3.00  3.90 

Brick  or  stone  foundation  with  full  basement  ,with  furnace,, 
bath  in  common. 
Class  2— 

2-story  3-story  4-story 

Frame    $2.40         $3.20         $4.00 

Brick 2.80  3.40  4.20 

Same  as  above,  with  addition  of  bay  windows.  Porches  or 
balconies,  laundry  trays  and  private  baths.  Plain  pine  fin- 
ish; four  one-story  bay  windows. 


636  ,THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Class  3 — 

2-story  3-story  4-story 

Frame    $3.00         $3.90         $4.80 

Brick    3.20  4.20  5.30 

Same   as   above,    except   hardwood   finish,    electric   lights, 
steam  or  hot  water  heat. 
Class  4— 

2-story  3-story  4-story 

Frame $4.50        $5.60        $6.60 

Brick 4.80  6.00  7.00 

Same  as  above,  except  ornamental  outside  and  inside  finish 
and  ornamental   fixtures.     Elevators;    reinforced   floors   and 
other  high-class  features. 
Class  5 — 

2-story     3-story     4-story    5-story 

Frame     $5.50        $6.60 

Brick  5.80  7.00  9.00         12.00 


SCHEDULE  NO.  3: — Store  buildings,  hotels,  bank  buildings, 
halls,  etc. 

Cheap    construction;     foundation    of    piers    or    walls    in 
trenches;     without    basement;     common    glass;     short  floor 
spans;   plain  trimmings  and  cornice;   plumbing,  W.  C.,  sink 
wash  basin: 
Class  1 — 

1-story    2-story     3-story    4-story 

Frame   $1.00         $1.80         $2.60         $3.40 

Brick   1.20  2.00  2.80  3.60 

Ordinary  construction;  brick  or  stone  foundation  with  full 
cellar  (9-ft.),  12-foot  ceilings;  medium  floor  spans;  heating 
plant;  common  joist  construction;  plate  glass  front;  plumb- 
ing open  W.  C.  for  each  floor;  sink  for  each  flat;  plain  trim- 
mings and  cornice;  plain  pine  finish: 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS  637 

Class  2 — 

1-story  2-story  3-story  4-story 

Frame $1.60  $2.40  $3.20  $4.00 

Brick     1.80  2.60  3.40  4.20 

Same  as  above;  wall  bearing;  large  floor  spans;  plumbing, 
private  baths  in  each  apartment;   ornamental  trimmings  or 
cornice;    steam  heat;    hardwood   finish: 
Class  3 — 

1-story     2-story     3-story   4-story 

Frame    $2.20         $3.00         $3.90         $5.80 

Brick  2.40  3.20  4.20  6.10 

5-story    6-story    7-story    8-story     9-story 
Brick    $7.20         $8.30         9.40       $10.50       $11.60 

The  above  schedule  applies  to  buildings  of  ordinary  con- 
struction and  ornamentation.  Special  ornamental  buildings, 
or  massive  construction,  not  coming  into  a  class,  are  specially 
estimated. 

SCHEDULE    NO.    4: — Warehouse,    factory,    mills,    foundry, 
garage,  stable,  shed. 
Class  1— 

Cheap  construction;  pier  foundation  or  walls  in  trenches; 
small  basement;  main  floor  near  grade;  composed  of  dirt; 
flat  roof;  plain  trimmings  and  cornice;  joist  floor  construc- 
tion without  trusses: 

1-story     2-story     3-story     4-story   5-story 

Frame    $     .60         $1.20         $2.00         $2.80         $3.50 

Brick    .90  1.50  2.20  3.10  3.80 

Class  2 — 

Ordinary  construction;  brick  or  stone  foundation;  full 
basement;  main  floor  several  feet  above  grade;  wood  floors; 
flat  roof;  joist  floor  construction  without  trusses;  plain  trim- 
mings and  cornice: 

1-story     2-story     3-story     4-story   5-story 

Frame    $1.00         $1.80         $2.60         $3.40         $4.20 

Brick  1.40  2.20  3.00  3.80  4.60 


638  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Class  3 — 

Same  as  above,  except  mill  construction;  wood  trusses: 

1-story     2-story     3-story  4-story    5-story 

Frame    $2.00         $2.90         $3.80  $4.70         $5.60 

Brick    2.40           3.30           4.20  5.10           6.00 

Class  4— 

Modern  fireproof  manufacturing  building;  steel  frame;  one 
elevator;  flat  roof.  Rate  per  sq.  ft: 

1-story     2-story     3-story  4-story    5-story 

$2.70         $3.80         $4.90  $6.00         $7.60 

6-story     7-story     8-story  9-story  10-story 

$9.00       $10.40       $11.80  $13.20       $14.60 

SCHEDULE  NO.  5:— Office     buildings,     non-fireproof;  steel 
floor  construction;   plain  trimmings  and  cornice. 
Class  1 — 

1-story     2-story     3-story  4-story 

Rate   $3.60         $4.80         $6.00  $7.60 

5-story  6-story  7-story  8-story  9-story 

Rate    $9.20       $10.80       $12.90       $15.00  $17.10 

Additional  points  for  outside  and  inside  ornamentation. 
Class  2 — 

Best  class:  office  buildings;  steel  frame;  fireproof;  includ- 
ing plumbing;  heating;  plain  marble  wainscoting  and  floors; 
plain  cornice  and  trimmings.  Ground  floor  area  between 
4,000  and  15,000  square  feet.  Rate  per  square  foot. 

1-story     2-story     3-story    4-story 

Rate     $  6.15         $9.75       $13.25       $16.75 

5-story     6-story     7-story     8-story 

Rate     $20.25       $23.75       $27.25       $30.75 

9-story  10-story  11-story  12-story 

Rate $34.25       $37.75       $40.25       $43.75 

13-story  14-story  15-story  16-story 
Rate     $47.25       $50.75       $54.25       $57.75 

This  rate  does  not  include  deposit  vaults.  Additions  must 
be  made  for  more  than  ordinary  marble  floors  or  wainscot- 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS  639 

ing;  for  ornamental  exterior  and  ornamental  interior  finish, 
ranging  from  $.10  to  $1.50  per  square  foot  per  floor. 

For  construction  not  above  fully  provided  for,  modifica- 
tions were  especially  estimated. 

SCHOOL  BUILDINGS: — The  cost  of  some  schools  is  given 
on  page  300.  The  cost  per  pupil  is  reasonable,  but,  like 
everything  else,  it  is  mounting  year  by  year.  In  the  table  of 
Boston  schools  there  are  some  startling  figures  for  the  con- 
sideration of  taxpayers.  It  is  questionable  if  such  expendi- 
tures are  warranted.  The  tendency  seems  to  be  to  make  the 
casket  so  fine  that  there  is  a  chance  of  forgetting  what 
schools  are  built  for.  When  $940  is  required  to  accommodate 
each  pupil  it  is  time  to  do  some  thinking.  According  to  the 
following  extract  a  limit  of  $150  ought  to  be  set. 

Woods  Hutchinson,  A.  M.,  M.  D.,  in  Good  Housekeeping: 
"In  larger  towns  and  cities  quite  an  appreciable  share  of 
the  additional  money  needed  for  the  grounds  could  be  saved 
on  the  building. 

The  ideal  schoolhouse  is  not  a  magnificent  architectural 
triumph,  nor  a  monument  for  future  generations,  but  an  in- 
expensively constructed,  light,  roomy,  day  nursery,  never 
exceeding  two  stories  in  height,  with  broad  staircases,  wide 
hallways,  and  at  least  one-third  to  one-half  the  wall  space  of 
each  room  in  the  shape  of  movable  window  sash  or  shutters, 
so  that  it  can  be  converted  into  a  porch  or  shed  in  fine 
weather. 

Thoughtful  students  of  the  health  of  the  child  are  coming 
to  the  same  conclusions  as  experts  have  come  to,  in  regard 
to  hospitals  for  tuberculosis,  that  every  dollar  spent  in  con- 
structing a  building  in  excess  of  $150  a  patient,  is  wasted — 
and  worse!" 

Open  air,  or  Forest  schools,  are  becoming  popular  in  all 
countries,  but  especially  in  Germany.  Even  in  the  cold  cli- 
mate of  Canada  there  are  quite  a  few.  They  are  naturally 
much  cheaper  than  the  classical  type.  The  pupils  have  to 
be  dressed  to  suit  the  weather.  It  is  possible  to  overdo  the 


640  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

one  style  of  building  as  much  as  the  other,  and  make  un- 
necessary suffering;  but  such  extravagance  as  the  Boston 
tables  show  is  unwarranted. 

SUMMARY: — The  following  summary  is  taken  from  the 
Building  Age  of  October,  1911: 

"The  cost  per  cu.  ft.  of  building  averages  for  30  buildings 
about  22.8  cents.  The  building  contract  itself  averages  for 
the  30  buildings  83.7  per  cent,  of  the  total  cost  of  the  struc- 
ture, with  extremes  of  77  and  86  per  cent. 

"The  heating  and  ventilating  contract  averages  9.5  per 
cent,  of  the  total  cost  of  the  building,  with  extremes  of  15 
and  7  per  cent.  The  average  cost  of  the  plumbing  contract 
amounts  to  4.6  per  cent,  of  the  total  cost  of  the  building,  and 
the  average  cost  of  the  electrical  work  amounts  to  3.4  per 
cent,  of  the  total  cost  of  the  building.  Three  of  the  30  build- 
ings are  high  school  structures,  and  for  the  27  common 
schools  the  cost  of  building  per  pupil  figures  out  at  $178. 
One  of  the  high  school  buildings,  designed  to  accommodate 
540  pupils,  cost  $548.25  per  pupil;  a  normal  school,  $940.65; 
and  another  high  school,  $495.19." 

A  part  of  the  Boston  table  is  given  here; 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS 


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644  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

CONCRETE  COTTAGES:— The  Atlas  Portland  Cement 
Company  send  out  a  pamphlet  with  many  styles  of  dwell- 
ings of  this  kind.  The  walls  are  mostly  monolithic,  with  re- 
inforcements above  openings.  Some  of  them  have  studs  with 
solid  concrete  filled  in  between,  scoured  to  a  sand  finish  while 
green,  and  bands  nailed  over  the  studs  to  make  a  panel  in 
the  half  timbered  style.  In  this  system  the  walls  are  4 
inches  thick  to  fill  out  to  the  stud  on  both  sides.  In  most  of 
the  other  houses  illustrated  the  basement  walls  are  10 
inches,  and  the  ones  above,  8. 

COST  PER  ROOM: — Of  12  cottages,  not  including  bathroom 
or  halls,  there  are  4  costing  $60,0  per  room,  2  at  $640,  and 
$645,  1  at  $682,  and  the  highest  at  $833;  2  of  simpler  con- 
struction cost  $418,  another,  $566;  and  1  is  set  at  $226,  which 
appears  to  be  too  low.  Detailed  estimates  are  given. 

GARAGES: — The  old  question  of,  How  long  is  a  string? 
might  be  amended  by  asking,  What  is  the  cost  of  a  garage? 
It  all  depends  upon  the  string,  and  the  size  and  style  of  the 
building.  There  are  hundreds  of  thousands  of  "autos"  now 
in  existence,  and  most  of  them  have  individual  houses.  Some 
with  a  few  boards  nailed  together  in  Southern  California  or 
Florida  may  cost  less  than  30  cents  per  square  foot,  and 
there  are  many  at  $5,  with  all  kinds  of  prices  between  these 
limits,  and  many  above  the  highest.  There  might  be  a  score 
of  classifications  of  these  small  buildings  in  a  city  valuation. 

The  figures  given  on  page  305  will  suffice  for  a  good  type; 
those  on  pages  450,  452  are  rather  low. 

A  garage  20  x  30,  of  6-inch  terra  cotta  blocks  plastered 
both  sides,  with  auto  space,  bedroom,  and  bathroom,  all 
on  one  floor  in  Boston,  cost  $3.35  per  sq.  ft.  and  18.7  per  cu. 
ft.  from  the  bottom  of  the  footings  to  the  average  height  of 
the  shingle  roof,  at  1911  prices.  Heat  is  supplied  from  a 
small  plant  connected  with  the  garage. 

PORTABLE  FIREPROOF  GARAGES. 

Some  companies  make  a  specialty  of  manufacturing  gal- 
vanized iron  garages,  hunting  lodges,  cottages,  etc.  Freight 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS  645 

is  paid  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  on  the  Pruden  type. 
Concrete  or  other  floors,  erection,  painting,  if  desired,  haul- 
ing from  the  cars,  and  profit,  have  to  be  included. 


PRIVATE  GARAGE  FOR  SINGLE   CAR. 
Standard    equipment   furnished    with   each   building: 
1  Pair  Double  Entrance  Doors  with  Yale  Locks. 
1  Single  Entrance  Door. 

3  Windows  (wire  glass,  unless  clear  glass  specified). 

1  Ornamental  Gable. 

2  Ventilators. 

2  Ridge  Terminals.' 

2  Door  Stops  for  Double  Doors. 

4  Metal  Corner  Shelves. 
2  Metal  Side  Shelves. 

All  bolts,  nuts,  screws,  rods,  etc.,  for  the  complete  assem- 
bling of  these  buildings  included. 

Side  walls  are  8  ft.  to  eaves.     May  be  10  ft.,  if  desired, 
for  15#  extra. 

Net  Prices. 

Length    12       14       16       18       20       24       28       32       42 

Width,  10    $160  $175  $189  $204  $218 

Width,  12     177     194     210     228     244  $278 

Width,  14     212     232     252     272     308  $348 

Width,  16     261     284     306     349     391  $455 

Width,  18     316     340     388     436     484  $604 

Width,  20     375     427     480     533     665 

PRIVATE  GARAGE  FOR  TWO  CARS. 
Equipment  same  as  for  Single  Garage,  except  that  there 
are  two  pairs  of  Double  Entrance  Doors  with  Yale  Locks. 

Ne«t  Prices. 

Length  18     20     22  24 

Width,  18  $328  $352  $376  $400 

Width,  20  387    413  439 


646  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

GARAGE    FOR    THREE    OR    MORE    CARS. 
Equipment  same  as  for  Single  Garage,  except  that  there 
are  a  paid  of  Double  Entrance  Doors  for  each  car  capacity, 
as  well  as  one  Window  for  each  car  capacity.  , 

Net  Prices. 

3  Cars        4  Cars  5  Cars  6  Cars 

Length    26                 34  42  50 

Width,  16     $401             $497  $593  $680 

Width,  18   432              540  648  756 

Width,  20   461              582  702  822 

INDUSTRIAL  BUILDINGS: — Two  examples  are  here  given 
to  show  Cost  and  Insurance  rates.  The  rate  per  square  foot 
is  actual  surface  on  all  floors,  and  not  on  ground  alone. 
Both  structures  are  of  reinforced  concrete. 

Bush  Terminal  Co.,  buildings  Nos.  5  and  6.  Each  build- 
ing is  600'  x  75'  in  plan,  82'  high — 6  floors.  There  is  a  con- 
necting wing  between  the  two  buildings  which  is  100'  x  205'. 
94'  high — 7  floors.  Designed  floor  load,  200  pounds  per  square 
foot)  windows,  50  per  cent,  of  wall  area;  beam  and  girder 
construction;  column  spacing,  approximately  25'  x  18';  con- 
crete curtain  walls;  roof,  concrete  covered  with  Barrett  roof- 
ing: floors,  granolithic  concrete;  fire  protective  devices, 
sprinklers,  hose,  tanks,  fire  doors  and  wire  glass;  insurance 
rate  varies  from  8.4  cents  to  11.9  cents  per  $100  on  buildings. 
Cost  of  construction,  6  cents  per  cubic  foot;  81  cents  per 
square  foot. 

Sugar  and  coffee  warehouse  of  Arbuckle  Bros.,  Brooklyn, 
N.  Y.  Size,  206'  x  200'  in  plan,  162'  high — 12  floors.  Designed 
floor  loads,  200  and  300  pounds  per  square  foot.  Windows,  50 
per  cent,  of  wall  area.  Beam  and  girder  construction;  col- 
umn spacing,  18'  2"  x  22';  concrete  curtain  walls;  loose,  cold 
twisted  bars  for  reinforcing;  roof,  concrete,  covered  with 
Barrett  roofing;  floors,  granolithic  and  also  maple  flooring. 
Protective  devices,  sprinklers,  hose,  tanks,  fire  doors,  wire 
glass  and  scuppers.  Insurance  rate,  14.6  cents  per  $100  on 
building  and  46.6  per  $100  on  contents. 


SQUARE     FOOT     COSTS  647 

UNIT  COSTS  OF  REINFORCED  CONCRETE  STRUCTURES 

The  following  table  is  used  by  a  large  eastern  designing 
firm.  As  an  approximate  allowance  it  is  of  value,  but  it  will 
be  noticed  that  the  units  are  much  lower  on  Machine  Shops, 
Power  House,  and  Store  Houses  than  those  given  on  pp. 
316-333. 


Type  of 

Building 

Dimensions 

Live  load 
per  sq.  ft. 

Cost  above  f  dtn. 

Costs  inc.  fdtn. 

sq.  ft. 

cu.  ft. 

sq.  ft. 

cu.  ft. 

Machine  Shop  .  . 

120  x  50 

150# 

$1.05 

$0.08 

$1.17 

$0.09 

4  sto. 

Machine  Shop  .  . 

220  x  100 

.... 

1.65 

0.09 

1.75 

0.10 

1  sto. 

sawtooth 

skylights 

CartridgeFactory 

223  x  56 

300# 

1.40 

0.09 

1.55 

0.10 

2  sto. 

Cotton  Mill  

550  x  129 

75# 

0.99 

0.07 

1.06 

0.075 

2  sto. 

Weave  Shed    .  .  . 

341  x  231 

125# 

1.66 

0.064 

1.79 

0.07 

1  sto. 

sawtooth 

skylights 

Power  House     .  . 

90  x"62 

2.53 

0.115 

2.67 

0.12 

Store  House    .  .  . 

181  x  56 

150# 

1.08 

0.065 

1.15 

0.07 

4  sto. 

Store  House    .  .  . 

256  x  100 

150# 

0.90 

0.09 

0.98 

0.105 

12  sto. 

Store  House    .  .  . 

223  x  56 

300# 

1.20 

0.08 

1.35 

0.09 

2  sto. 

and  1000# 

Coal  pockets  above  3,000  ton  capacity  cost  from  $6.00  to 
$7.50  per  ton.  Reinforced  concrete  stand  pipes  above  the 
foundation  cost  from  2%  to  3  cents  per  gallon. 
RAILROAD  SHOPS: — The  most  expensive  ones  in  Ne- 
braska are  valued  at  $4.20  per  sq.  ft.  This  high  price  is  on 
account  of  heavy  stone  walls  laid  up  in  a  first  class  manner. 


CHAPTER    XLII. 

APPROXIMATE  COST  OF  WOOD  TRUSSES. 

SCAFFOLDING: — No  allowance  is  made.  It  might  be  neces- 
sary to  erect  a  special  scaffold  in  one  case,  and  in  another 
the  scaffold  in  use  might  serve. 

PROFIT: — Net  cost  is  given  without  profit,  which  ought  to 
be  added  in  a  lump  sum  for  all  the  building,  and  not  sepa- 
rately for  each  part  of  it. 

LEGEND: — Lower  chord,  L.  C.;  top  chord,  T.  C.;  Rafters, 
R.;  struts,  S. 

TRUSS  A:— Span  60  ft;  height  13  ft. 

Chords  and  rafters  12"  x  12";  struts, 
8"  x  12";  including  splices,  waste  lumber, 
etc.,  2100  ft.  B.  M.  Rods,  iy2  diameter. 
Lumber,  $30;  labor,  $25. 

2100  ft.  at  $55  $115.50 

Rods,  plates,  bolts  and  nails  12.50 

$128.00 


A  similar  truss  to  the  above  has  a  span  of  100  ft,  yet 
there  are  only  about  500  ft.,  B.  M.,  of  extra  lumber  in  it.  The 
labor  is  worth  at  least  $10  per  M  more,  for  the  cost  of  rais- 
ing is  greater  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of  lumber.  A  fig- 
ure of  $175  is  fair. 


Truss  A.  Truss  B. 

648 


APPROXIMATE     COST     OF     WOOD     TRUSSES 

TRUSS  B:— Span  50  ft;  height,  11  ft. 

Chords  8"  x  10";   struts  8"  x  8". 
Center  rod  1%";  side  rods,  1". 
Lumber,  $28;   labor,  $22. 

900  ,ft  B.  M.  at  $50   

Rods,  plates,  etc 


649 


$45.00 
6.00 

$51.00 


Truss  C. 

TRUSS  C:— Span  64  ft;   height,  16  ft 

Chords    and    rafters,    10"   x   10";     struts, 

8"  x  10". 

Center  rod,  1%;    side  rods,  l1^. 
Lumber,   $30;    labor,   $28. 

1700  ft  B.  M.  at  $58  $98.60 

Rods,  plates,  bolts,  etc 16.40 


$115.00 


Truss  D. 

TRUSS  D:— Span  84  ft;  height,  19  ft 

Chord  is  2  rods  iy2"  diameter. 

Rafters,     2     pieces     6"    x    12";      struts, 

6"  x  8". 
Rods,  2"  diameter. 

1400  ft  B.  M.  (lumber  only)  at  $30 $42.00 

Rods  and  eyes   (1400  Ibs.)    3c 42.00 

Plates  and  bolts  8.00 

Total   labor    .  40.00 


$132.00 


650 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Truss  E. 

TRUSS  E:— Span  75  ft;   height,  23  ft. 
Lower  chord  3  pcs.,  3  x  10. 
Rafters  10  x  12. 
Struts   (average)   8x8. 
Rods,  2  center,  iy2;   side,  %. 
Lumber,   $30;   labor,  $35. 

2300  ft.  B.  M.  at  $65   

Rods,  plates,  bolts,  shoes,  etc. 


TRUSS  F:— Span  44   ft.:  height,  12  ft. 

330  ft.  B.  M.  $27 

Labor   

Bolts  and  nails  . 


$149.50 
30.50 


$180.00 


$8.90 
5.95 
3.15 


$18.00 

The  truss  P.  is  merely  a  good  strong  rafter  put  together  in 
a  simple  manner. 


Truss  P. 


Truss  G. 


TRUSS  G:— Span  45;  height,  10  ft. 

520  ft.  B.  M.  at  $28  14.55 

Labor,   $25    13.00 

Rods,  plates,  bolts,  etc $6.45 

$34.00 


APPROXIMATE     COST     OF     WOOD     TRUSSES 


651 


Truss  32x14. 


Truss  39x13. 


Truss  30x11. 


Truss  50x12. 

Truss  32'  x  14'    high $65.00 

Truss  39'  x  13'      80.00 

Truss  30'  x  11'      55.00 

Truss  50'  x  12'      90.00 

The  above  4  are  strong  trusses  to  carry  purlins,  and  not  of 
the  light  construction  of  trusses  P.  and  G. 


Howe  Truss    (Shown  for  double  and  single). 

HOWE  TRUSSES. 

Lumber  is  allowed  at  $30,  and  labor,  $45.  Owing  to  dif- 
ferent loads  and  conditions,  the  same  span  and  height  often 
have  heavier  timbers  in  given  trusses.  Type  A  in  the  fol- 
lowing table  is  taken  as  an  average  standard;  and  an  extra 
allowance  made  for  a  heavier  truss  under  B. 


652  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

TABLE  OF  NET  COST  OF   HOWE  TRUSSES,   INCLUDING 

RODS. 


Span 

Hight  Chords 

Braces 

Cost, 
A 

Cost, 
B 

Lumber,  Lumber, 
A      B 

36' 

6' 

8"x  8"   6' 

'x  8" 

$53 

$73 

600BM. 

730BM. 

42 

7 

8 

xlO 

8 

x  8 

75 

100 

860BM. 

1080 

48 

8 

8 

xlO 

8 

x  8 

75 

110 

980 

1240 

54 

9 

10 

xlO 

8 

x  8 

113 

140 

1340 

1640 

*60 

10 

10 

xlO 

8 

xlO 

130 

160 

1500 

1880 

70 

11 

10 

x!2 

10 

xlO 

175 

215 

2100 

2640 

80 

13 

10 

x!4 

10 

xlO 

240 

280 

2780 

3450 

*On  page  152  there  is  a  description  of  a  truss  with  60  ft. 
span,  but  only  6  ft.  in  height.  The  high  cost  of  the  labor 
was  owing  to  the  construction.  While  the  lower  chord  was 
made  up  of  four  timbers  with  the  struts  running  down  be- 
tween, and  thus  easier  handled  than  a  solid  one,  there  were 
many  pieces  1"  thick  bolted  between,  and  also  notched  into 
both  sides.  Thus,  for  every  upright  piece  there  were  several 
notches  in  the  timbers.  The  rods  were  also  double  instead 
of  single.  Part  of  the  extra  cost  was  owing  to  the  ceiling 
which  made  more  scaffolding  necessary  than  is  usual.  Each 
truss  cost  about  $275,  but  this  included  the  scaffolding.  This 
illustration  shows  that  the  figures  in  the  table  have  to  be 
taken  as  average,  and  that  special  construction  or  condi- 
tions as  to  height  of  ceiling,  etc..  might  raise  the  amount. 

The  design  of  the  truss  on  page  152  was  bad.  It  was  too 
low,  as  there  was  plenty  of  chance  to  make  it  higher.  The 
centers  sank  after  a  time,  and  had  to  have  posts  put  in;  and 
when  an  additional  story  was  added  the  trusses  were  re- 
moved. The  contractors  were  scored  for  minor  defects  in 
the  timbers,  yet  the  whole  design  was  spoiled.  So  it  often  is. 
TRUSSES  100  ft.  span  by  25  ft.  high  in  two  long  buildings 
were  estimated  at  $275  each.  They  were  supported  in  the 
center  by  two  columns  to  each, , and  thus  lighter  timbers 
served  than  for  a  Howe  truss  of  the  same  span.  They  were 
of  the  usual  triangular  style.  Each  contained  about  3500 
ft.  B.  M. 

See  Index  for  figures  on  other  trusses,  including  some  of 
steel. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

SHORT  CUTS. 

BINS,  CASES,  ETC. : — In  making  a  physical  valuation  of  such 
a  great  plant  as  a  yard  full  of  railroad  shops  there  are  many 
smaller  items  outside  of  the  buildings  proper  that  can  not 
be  neglected,  because  in  the  aggregate  they  run  into  a  large 
sum  of  money;  but  they  are  of  such  a  nature  that  a  greater 
amount  of  time  can  be  consumed  in  making  a  detailed  esti- 
mate of  them  than  is  justified  by  the  results.  Such  are 
boxes,  bins,  racks,  cases,  and  shelving,  the  former  covering 
large  areas  when  considered  collectively,  and  sometimes  fill- 
ing whole  buildings,  and  the  latter  running  into  tens  of 
thousands  of  square  feet.  Whatever  may  be  claimed,  there 
is  no  one  who  can  guess  anywhere  near  the  value  of  all  these 
items.  About  the  only  way  is  to  make  a  standard  price  for 
a  certain  size  of  opening  and  thickness  of  materials,  and 
then  to  count  the  openings;  and  a  price  per  sq.  ft.  for  the 
shelving.  With  iron  shelving,  sizes  have  to  be  taken  and 
the  weights  figured  up.  In  a  certain  building  I  estimated  in 
detail  $10,000  worth  of  iron  racks  and  shelving,  and  at  a 
guess  most  men  would  have  considered  half  that  amount  suf- 
ficient. But  where  hundreds  of  standard  buildings  are  taken 
by  the  sq.  ft.  there  is  no  reason  for  taking  off  carloads  of 
lumber  in  racks  and  bins.  The  shorter  way  gives  close 
enough  results. 

DEPTH:— The  depth  of  a  large  area  of  racks,  or  box-like 
openings,  regulates  the  price  to  some  extent,  if  there  is  a 
back,  for  this  costs  no  more  on  a  deep  case  than  on  a  shal- 
low one.  In  most  yards  the  bins,  shelving,  and  racks  have 
been  used  so  many  years  that  while  they  can  not  be  neglected 
it  is  easily  seen  by  their  condition  that  the  best  estimate  can 
only  be  approximate,  and  that,  therefore,  a  fair  price  per 
opening  or  per  sq.  ft.  is  all  that  can  be  reasonably  expected 

653 


654  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

to  be  set,  and  the  depreciation  allowed  on  the  reproduction 
value  after  this  is  done. 

SIAMESE  TWINS: — Another  trouble  comes  with  the  depre- 
ciation for  this  class  of  property:  When  a  large  set  of  new 
bins  is  attached  to  a  building  worth  onlv  30  per  cent,  of  its 
value  new,  the  bins  have  to  be  depreciated  with  the  build- 
ing, for  they  are  made  useless  by  the  removal  or  destruc- 
tion of  the  main  structure.  So  with  platforms,  except  for  the 
small  allowance  for  salvage,  wrhen  they  are  taken  down. 
Each  case  has  to  be  decided  on  its  own  merits,  and  can  best 
be  done  on  the  ground. 

EXTRAS: — Sometimes  %  casings  and  ledges  are  nailed  on 
the  face  of  the  bin  openings.  There  might  be  such  condi- 
tions attached  to  the  building  of  a  particular  bin  as  to 
greatly  increase  the  cost;  or  so  much  time  wasted  as  to 
make  the  labor  bill  run  to  twice  as  much  as  it  should  do. 
It  might  be,  again,  that  a  man  was  sent  a  hundred  miles  to 
build  a  case  worth  $12,  and  that  he  might  have  to  wait  a  day 
for  material.  No  allowance  is  made  for  contingencies  like 
this  in  the  following  estimates.  They  are  based  on  the  sup- 
position that  a  good  workable  number  of  cases  are  to  be 
built  at  the  same  time,  and  that  the  undertaking  can  be  gone 
about  systematically.  Much  railroad  work  is  necessarily 
done  under  the  piecemeal  system,  and  costs  more  than  it 
would  if  all  done  at  once.  Here  is  another  factor  that  those 
who  want  a  high  valuation  could  properly  urge  in  favor  of 
a  greater  total  than  a  contractor  would  allow. 

NO  PROFIT: — Cost  price  without  profit  is  given.  The  labor 
is  set  at  40  cents  per  hour — and  it  would  often  pay  railroads 
to  employ  40-cent  carpenters  instead  of  22y2  cent  men  who 
"learned  carpenter  work  on  the  farm  with  father."  Lumber 
is  set  at  $26.  Some  extra  lumber  is  allowed  for  blocking. 
Nails  are  included. 

No.  1.  Bin,  6  ft.  high  x  30  ft.  long  x  24  in.  deep  with  back. 
All  of  plain  2"  plank.  Openings,  4  in  height  x  18  in  length — 
18"  x  20"  centers— 72  in  all.  Lumber,  1550  ft.  B.  M.  Total, 


SHORT     CUTS  655 

$55:  31  cents  per  sq.  ft,  and  77  cents  per  opening.  If  bin  is 
set  on  a  platform  and  lower  shelf  is  not  required,  make  29 
cents  per  sq.  ft.,  and  71  per  opening. 

No.  2.  Same  bin  and  conditions  as  No.  1,  but  only  18" 
deep.  Lumber  1250  ft.  B.  M.,  $44,  25c.  per  sq.  ft,  and  61  per 
opening,  with  bottom  shelf  included. 

No.  3.  Same  as  No.  1,  but  only  12"  deep.  Lumber  970  ft 
B.  M.,  $35,  20c.  sq.  ft,  49c.  per  •opening. 

No.  4.  Without  a  2"  back  for  above  bins  the  sq.  ft.  price 
would  be  7c.  less;  and  3V&  cents  for  %  boards. 

No.  5.  Bin  6'  x  30'.  No  back;  12"  deep;  3  openings  in 
height  x  12  in  length;  2"  plank;  openings  to  centers,  24"  x 
30".  Lumber,  450  ft  B.  M.;  $16;  9c.  per  sq.  ft;  45c.  per 
opening. 

For  18"  deep,  and  as  above,  add  50  per  cent. 
For  24"  deep,  double  the  total. 

Add  back  if  required  at  7c.  per  sq.  ft  for    2",    and  3^ 
for  %. 

No.  6.  Bin  5'  x  20'  x  12"  deep.      No  back;    5  openings  in 
height  x  8  in  length — 12"  x  30"  centers— 2"  plank,  370  ft.  B. 
M.;  $13;  13c.  per  sq.  ft;  33c.  per  opening. 
For  18'.'  deep  add  50  per  cent 
For  24"  double. 
Add  back  if  required. 

No.  7.  Bin  as  above  and  12"  deep,  but  with  %  uprights=320 
ft  B.  M.;  $12;  12c.  per  sq.  ft;  30c.  per  opg. 

Add  for  extra  depth  and  back  if  required. 
No.  8.     Bin  or  counter,  3'  x  16'  x  12"  deep;    3  openings  in 
height  x  5  in  length— 12"  x  38"  centers — 2"  plank;     170    ft 
B.  M.;    $7;   15c.  per  sq.  ft;   47c.  per  opg. 

Add  for  extra  depth  or  for  back  if  required. 
No.  9.    Bin  or  counter  on  top  of  No.  8,  4'  x  16'  x  12"  deep; 
4  opgs.   in  height  x  12  in  length — 12"  x  16"  centers — 2"  up- 
rights, %  shelving;  200  ft.  B.  M.;  $8;  13c.  per  sq.  ft  17c.  per 
opg. 

Add  for  extra  depth  or  back  if  required. 


656  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

DOUBLE: — Many  such  bins  are  double,  and  thus  require 
only  one  back  between  the  two  sides.  After  figuring  accord- 
ing to  width  both  bins — north  and  south — the  back  can  be 
added. 

CHEAP: — All  of  the  above  work  is  of  the  plainest  character 
— merely  rough  planks  and  boards  squared  across  and  nailed 
into  divisions  for  bolts,  nuts,  washers,  hangers,  hinges,  and 
all  the  large  and  small  miscellaneous  equipment  of  railroad 
shops.  There  is  no  painted  work  included,  nor  is  the  lum- 
ber estimated  to  be  of  the  kind  that  gets  painted,  except 
sometimes  with  the  standard  red  mineral. 

BOARDS: — The  following  cases  are  made  of  ordinary  % 
boards  squared  and  nailed  together  without  dadoing.  Like 
the  plank  bins,  these  are  not  for  paint,  but  for  the  roughest 
work.  They  are  not  to  be  compared  with  such  cases  as  are 
listed  on  pages  32  and  171,  for  example,  where  from  3  to  5 
cents  per  sq.  ft.  is  allowed  for  labor  alone.  The  allowance 
here  is  $26  for  lumber,  and  not  more  than  $25  for  labor,  de- 
pending upon  the  size  of  the  compartments,  for  the  smaller 
ones  take  more  time.  A  back  is  not  allowed,  but  can  be 
added  at  3y2  to  4c.  per  sq.  ft,  as  the  cases  with  most  com- 
partments take  more  labor  for  nailing  on  back.  A  bottom 
shelf  is  allowed  about  4"  up  from  the  floor.  If  strips  are 
nailed  on  the  front  add  from  1  to  2c.  per  lineal  foot.  Add 
profit. 

No.  10.  Case  7'  x  20'  x  12"  deep;  10  openings  in  height  x 
20  in  length — 8.4"  x  12"  centers — 400  ft.  B.  M.;  $21;  15c.  per 
sq.  ft;  10.5c.  per  opening. 

Add  for  extra  width  or  back  if  required. 

No.  11.  Case  T  x  20'  x  12"  deep  x  6  opgs.  in  height  x  20  in 
length; — 14"  x  12"  centers — 320  ft  B.  M.;  $16;  12c.  per  sq. 
ft;  14c.  per  opg. 

Add  for  extra  width  or  back  if  required. 

No.  12.  Case  7' x  20' x  12"  deep  x  5  opgs.  in  height  x  16  in 
length— 17"  x  15"  centers— 280  ft.  B.  M.;  $13;  lOc  per  sq.  ft; 
16c.  per  opening. 

Add  for  extra  width  or  back  if  required. 


SHORT     CUTS  657 

No.  13.  Case  3'  x  16'  x  12"  deep  x  3  opgs.  in  height  and  10 
in  length— 12"  x  19"  centers— 110  ft.  B.  M.;  $6;  13c.  per  sq. 
ft;  20c.  per  opening. 

Add  for  extra  width  or  back  if  required. 

DETAILING: — Nothing  is  allowed  for  detail  drawings  for 
the  above  work.  The  sizes  are  supposed  to  be  given  to  a 
foreman  as  sufficient  for  such  rough  bins.  When  drawings 
are  made  for  storehouse  cases,  as  for  the  60,000  ft.  B.  M. 
alluded  to  on  page  171,  the  details  are  so  different  for  each 
case,  and  there  are  so  many  compartments,  that  10  per  cent, 
ought  to  be  added  for  drafting.  The  two  classes  of  work  are 
entirely  different.  Pages  32  and  17  deal  with  the  painted 
and  varnished  class. 

The  following  case  is  also  mill  made  and  the  only  one 
listed  here: 

No.  14.  Case  with  back,  161  holes,  2%"  x  10%"  x  13  deep; 
5'  9"  x  6'  6"  over  all,  dadoed,  and  painted,  spruce,  $53,  or  33 
cents  per  opening,  including  profit  of  millman. 

PROFIT  must  be  added  at  the  end  of  the  summary  of  cost 
of  all  the  cases,  and  there  would  have  to  be  quite  a  few 
made  at  one  time  before  a  contractor  could  afford  to  fix  a 
reasonable  figure;  and  it  must  be  also  considered  that  draw- 
ings may  have  been  required. 

RACKS: — It  is  hardly  possible  to  set  a  figure  for  racks.  The 
posts  are  of  all  kinds,  and  are  spaced  closely  in  the  one  rack, 
and  wide  apart  in  the  next,  depending  upon  the  load;  the  iron 
supports  in  one  are  light  pipes,  and  in  others  solid  rods  1" 
in  diameter;  and  the  compartments  are  of  all  kinds  of  sec- 
tions and  lengths.  Very  often  an  approximate  figure  can  be 
guessed  at — and  in  a  yard  where  the  machine  shop  may  run 
to  $200,000  or  twice  as  much,  and  the  trackage  to  more,  the 
proportion  of  wrong  guessing  on  racks  is  easily  swallowed  up. 

FINE  SHELVING,  CASES,  AND  COUNTERS:— See  pages  32, 
33,  171,  188,  for  good  approximate  figures.  The  counters  on 
page  188  are  as  near  as  can  be  approximated  for  ticket 


658  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

offices  in  cities.  The  price  might  easily  be  doubled  if  the 
designer  wants  to.  It  is  all  a  matter  of  detail. 

OFFICE  PARTITIONS  are  found  on  page  187.  There  are 
usually  some  in  ticket  offices,  and  detail  regulates  price.  As 
a,  mere  hint  of  cost  of  equipment  in  ticket  offices  in  cities  of 
50,000  to  150,000,  of  a  half  dozen  the  cheapest  was  worth  $700 
new,  and  the  most  expensive  $2000.  But  the  latter  with 
electric  lighting  system,  and  some  other  extras  included 
would  have  amounted  to  $2500.  This  applies  to  offices  in  the 
city  proper,  and  not  at  the  station.  These  figures  would  be 
far  too  low  for  the  finely  equipped  offices  in  the  larger  cities, 
some  of  them  costing  a  small  fortune. 

EXCAVATION: — For  an  ordinary  house  wall  allow  1-3  cu. 
yd.  to  the  lineal  foot. 

For  a  heavier  factory  wall  allow  %  cu.  yd. 

The  above  will  suit  in  northern  climes  to  go  below  the 
frost  line  where  the  depth  can  not  be  ascertained,  and  allow 
a  little  for  backfilling. 

ENGINEERING: — Some  of  the  unit  costs  used  in  the  Wash- 
ington valuation  are  given  below: 

Clearing  of  ground  per  acre  $100.00 

Grubbing  per  sq.  rod   1.65 

Cutting  trees,  each , .         2.00 

Ballast  with  gravel,  per  mile  1,100.00 

Siding  track,  labor  only,  per  mile  600.00 

Main  track,  labor  only,  per  mile 700.00 

Earth  ballast,  per  mile   600.00 

Cattle  guards,  crossings,  and  signs,  per  mile 25.00 

Engineering  expenses,  3y2  per  cent.  (The  cost  is  usually 
6  per  cent.,  and  sometimes  runs  much  higher — one  company 
wanted  15). 

Legal  expenses  1  to  iy2  per  cent. 

IN  GENERAL:— See  pages  11  to  38  for  short  cut  methods, 
where  square  foot  cost  is  not  taken,  and  when  it  is  not  de- 
sired to  make  out  a  bill  of  material.  See  Trusses  in  another 
chapter,  and  in  Index. 


CHAPTER    XLIV. 

EQUIPMENT  OP  BUILDINGS. 

FURNITURE  AND  MACHINES:— In  a  physical  valuation 
this  is  another  feature  that  makes  a  good  deal  of  work. 
Tables,  desks,  filing  cases,  safes,  typewriters,  adding  ma- 
chines, and  a  hundred  other  items  do  not  seem  te  be  of  much 
account  in  such  a  valuation,  but  taken  in  the  aggregate  they 
come  to  a  large  figure.  Some  of  the  newer  style  of  electri- 
cally operated  adding  machines,  etc.,  cost  heavily.  In  one 
building  the  total,  including  the  law  library,  ran  to  nearly 
$60,000;  in  another,  $40,000;  in  still  another,  $10,000;  and 
this  at  the  depreciated  figures.  When  new  the  cost  would 
be  much  higher. 

This  kind  of  valuation  is  totally  distinct  from  any  motive 
power  work.  It  related  solely  to  what  is  connected  with  in- 
stallations for  clerical  use,  and  warehouse  work. 

Generally  speaking,  the  proper  method  of  estimating  the 
value  of  all  such  equipment  is  to  put  a  present  value  price 
on  it.  It  is  not  worth  while,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  to  put 
down  original  cost.  There  is  work  enough  connected  with 
listing  $40,000  to  $60,000  worth  of  old  and  new  furniture, 
wall  cases  and  shelving  by  the  thousand  sq.  ft.,  typewriters, 
and  other  machines,  without  putting  down  two  valuations. 
There  should  be  no  such  thing  as  averaging  up  the  deprecia- 
tion on  equipment  from  a  few  months  to  forty  years  old. 
Each  item,  or  each  class,  should  be  priced  on  the  spot  and 
finished. 

Ordinarily  the  railroads  are  willing  enough  to  render  all 
assistance  required.  Their  furniture  expert  is  sent  along,  and 
the  original  cost  figures  given  whenever  possible.  The  law 
library  is  priced,  and  so  are  all  expensive  machines.  What- 
ever law  squabbles  may  be  had  over  the  main  features  of 
a  railroad  valuation  running  into  millions,  most  recognize 
that  this  class  of  equipment  bears  a  small  proportion  to  the 

659 


660  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

complete  summary,  and  that  the  best  way  for  all  is  to  get 
through  with  it  as  easily  as  possible. 

LAW  LIBRARIES  may  run  to  any  price— some  I  saw  were 
listed,  present  value,  at  $9000,  and  others  at  $14,000.  A  li- 
brary was  valued  on  the  basis  of  $6  for  recent  textbooks,  $5 
for  older,  but  still  standard  works,  and  $2.50  for  the  oldest 
books.  Some  experts  allow  a  rate  of  $2  per  volume  averaged 
over  the  whole  library. 

ENGINEERING: — In  the  engineering  department  of  a  rail- 
road there  are  thousands  of  drawings,  maps,  building  plans, 
and  other  data;  and  also  costly  instruments.  There  is  no 
way  of  valuing  the  first  lot.  A  road  might  put  almost  any 
figure  upon  it,  within  reason.  Surveys  are  costly,  the  records 
are  useful,  and  remain  so.  Building  plans  of  a  standard  type 
are  used  year  after  year;  and  the  bills  of  material  attached 
to  them  save  the  work  of  making  new  ones  as  often  as  an- 
other building  is  erected  from  the  type.  What  would  cost  an 
architect  a  hundred  or  several  hundred  dollars,  can  often  be 
done  for  a  few  cents  in  a  railroad  office  by  making  a  set  of 
blueprints. 

HOTELS.  ETC. — Monthly  reports  are  made  of  all  silverware, 
dishes,  bedding,  towels,  napkins,  and  the  whole  equipment  of 
such  places.  By  far  the  easiest  way  of  valuing  such  stock  is 
to  get  the  reports.  Beds  themselves,  stoves,  tables,  benches, 
and  all  the  larger  items  not  included  in  the  lists  have  to  be 
valued  on  the  ground.  Furniture,  carpets,  and  shades,  may 
be  taken  at  so  much  per  room,  unless  they  are  of  the  more 
expensive  kinds. 

TELEGRAPH  AND  TELEPHONE  tables  and  equipment  are 
not  taken  in  the  same  classification  as  the  other  furniture, 
etc ,  but  separately. 

REFRIGERATORS: — Here  we  enter  a  field  without  bounds, 
We  may  have  a  refrigerator  for  $25  up  to  as  high  as  we 
please.  For  a  house  planned  to  ice  from  the  outside  an  al- 
lowance of  $75  is  fair.  This  might  be  increased  to  several 
hundreds,  according  to  size,  number  of  compartments,  style 
of  finish,  etc. 


EQUIPMENT     OF     BUILDINGS  661 

One  of  the  largest  makers  says  that  zinc  lined  refrigera- 
tors are  poisonous.  Wood  lining  is  preferred  to  zinc. 

As  an  approximate  price  per  sq.  ft.  the  following  figures 
will  be  useful:  (Thus,  the  front  size  being  3  wide  and  4  high 
=  12  sq.  ft.  Only  the  front  is  estimated  for  size.) 

WOOD  LINED,  ANTIQUE  OAK:— From  $4  to  $6. 
WHITE  ENAMEL  LINED,  OAK  FINISH:— From  $6  to  $8. 
OPAL  GLASS  LINED.     QUARTERED  OAK:— $8  to  $12. 

PORCELAIN  TILE  LININGS:  NO  WOOD  OUTSIDE:— $18 
up. 

RUDD  HEATERS: — Dwelling  size,  $100  on  cars,  east  of  Mis- 
souri river;  $115  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

REVOLVING  DOORS: — There  are  scores  of  varieties  in  all 
styles  of  finish,  and  thus  it  is  impossible  to  give  a  price  with- 
out knowing  the  requirements.  But  for  a  physical  valuation 
or  an  approximate  estimate  a  fair  idea  is  better  than  none. 
These  doors  run  higher  in  cost  than  is  commonly  supposed. 

About  the  cheapest  door  for  a  good  front  is  $580  in  New 
York  city,  or  at  factory.  From  this  price  to  $800  may  be  said 
to  cover  ordinary  requirements.  Freight  and  setting  have 
to  be  added.  A  large  collapsible  door,  electrically  operated 
was  installed  in  a  skyscraper  in  the  west  in  1912  for  $2500. 
This  price  is  greatly  exceeded  for  the  doors  in  fashionable 
hotels  and  department  stores. 

A  revolving  fire  door  is  an  excellent  method  of  checking  a 
fire.  The  cost  varies  with  the  style  and  finish.  A  wood 
door,  lined  with  tin,  may  be  used  in  factories,  but  not  in  fine 
apartment  houses.  A  price  of  $300  may  be  set  for  an  or- 
dinary installation. 

DAHLSTROM  DOORS,  ETC.:— There  are  many  kinds  of 
fireproof  doors  and  windows  now  on  the  market.  An  ap- 
proximate price  on  one  kind  will  serve  for  an  estimate  on  all. 
Doors  range  from  $1.25  to  $1.70  per  square  foot  without 
glass  or  hardware,  but  with  hardware  fitted.  The  one  panel 
doors  are  the  cheapest.  Jambs  and  casings  are  not  included. 


662  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

For  6"  partitions  with  5"  casings  both  sides,  the  cost  is  95 
cents  per  lineal  foot.  These  prices  include  a  grained  enamel 
finish;  a  plain  color  finish  is  5  per  cent.  less.  For  quantities 
of  25  deduct  10  per  cent,  from  above  prices,  which  are  F. 
O.  B.  New  York. 

Doors  with  5  panels  in  the  regular  style  naturally  cost 
more  than  with  one,  as  there  is  welding  to  do  at  all  joints. 
The  above  prices  are  based  on  a  door  3'  x  7'.  Freight,  hard- 
ware, glass,  and  erection  have  to  be  added. 

Office  partitions  and  wainscoting  are  figured  at  the  same 
price  per  square  foot  as  doors* 

The  cost  of  erection  is  set  by  the  manufacturers  at  from 
20  to  30  per  cent,  of  the  cost  of  material,  under  ordinary 
conditions. 

Two  sheets  of  asbestos  are  used  inside  the  doors,  with  a 
sheet  of  felt  between.  A  strip  of  cork  iy2"  wide  is  used  in- 
side the  hollow  stile  to  reduce  the  metallic  ring  when  shut- 
ting. 

VACUUM  CLEANERS. 

(The  following  information  is  supplied  by  the  McCrum- 
Howell  Co.  for  this  book.  Prices  are,  of  course,  changed  to 
suit  conditions.) 

There  are  two  kinds  of  Vacuum  Cleaners,  viz.:  portable 
and  stationary.  Portable  machines  range  in  price  from 
$65.00  to  $225.00  depending  on  size  and  capacity.  Where 
practicable,  stationary  machines  installed  in  cellar  are  pref- 
erable. 

Stationary  Vacuum  Cleaners  can  be  readily  installed  in 
all  classes  of  buildings.  The  machines  are  operated  by 
steam,  electricity,  or  gasoline  engine.  Machines  are  rated 
according  to  their  sweeper  capacity,  i.  e.,  a  machine  may  be 
capable  of  operating  one  sweeper  at  one  time,  two  sweepers 
at  one  time,  etc.  For  residences,  small  apartments,  etc.,  one- 
sweeper  plants  are  commonly  used,  while  multi-sweeper 
plants  are  installed  in  large  buildings. 


EQUIPMENT     OF     BUILDINGS  663 

The  following  estimates  are  based  on  "RICHMOND"  elec- 
trically driven  machines,  with  positive,  rotary  pumps. 

COST   OF    MACHINES   FOR    ONE-SWEEP   CAPACITY    FOR 
RESIDENCES  AND  SMALL  BUILDINGS. 

1  H.P.  Electric  one-sweeper  machine    $300.00 

2  H.P.  Electric  one-sweeper  machine     450.00 

3  H.P.  Electric  one-sweeper  machine     700.00 

Above  approximate  figures  include  complete  machine,  i.  e., 
motor,  pump,  dust  separators,  etc.,  ready  to  operate,  also  one 
complete  set  of  hose  and  cleaning  appliances.  These  fig- 
ures include  freight  except  in  extreme  Southern  and  West- 
ern states. 

The  two  chief  items  connected  with  installation  are  pip- 
ing and  wiring.  Piping  for  one-sweeper  plants  is  usually 
iy2"  in  size.  Figure  roughly  50c  to  60c  per  foot  for  1^" 
pipe  installed  with  long  sweep  drainage  fittings. 

The  cost  of  wiring  depends  upon  H.P.  of  motor  and  length, 
of  wire  to  be  installed.  When  required,  rheostats  are  fur- 
nished with  machines  without  extra  charge.  The  simplest 
form  of  electrical  connection  is  to  connect  rheostat  direct 
with  service  wires  with  switch  near  machine.  Cost  of  this- 
style  of  connection  varies  from  $10.00  to  $30.00,  depending 
on  size  of  motor  and  length  necessary  to  run. 

If  desired,  remote  control  system  can  be  installed  for 
motor,  in  which  case,  automatic  starter  is  desirable  with 
push  buttons  where  required.  For  automatic  starters,  both 
direct  and  alternating  currents,  costs  are  about  as  follows: 

1  H.P.  Automatic  Starter     $20.00 

2  H.P.  Automatic  Starter     25.00 

3  H.P.  Automatic  Starter     30.00 

For  wiring  and  push  buttons,  add  about  $15.00  for  first,  and 
$10.00  for  each  additional  push  button  or  remote  control 
station. 


664  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

Below  is  a  typical  estimate  of  1  H.P.,  one-sweeper  electri- 
cal machine  for  installation  in  average  residence  of,  say,  ten 
rooms : 

Cost 

1  1-H.P.  One-sweeper  machine  complete  $300.00 

5  1"  Service  inlets  or  hose  connections,  to  be  placed 

on   piping    7.50 

20'  of  iy2"  Horizontal  vacuum  main  installed  in  base- 
ment, with  recessed  long  sweep  fittings   11.00 

34'  of  iy2"  Vertical  vacuum  main  installed   to   third 

floor,  fittings  ditto     18.70 

12'  of  2"  Exhaust  pipe  from  machine  to  flue 7.80 

Electrical  connection  with  one  single  throw  switch  in 

basement    , 15.00 

Cartage  on  machine 5.00 

Test  and  demonstration    5.00 

$370.00 
Add   profit    (1,5^)    55.50 


$425.50 

If  remote  control  for  motor  with  three  push  mutton  sta- 
tions is  to  be  installed,  add  $40.00  to  above  estimate  ($55.00 
less  $15.00  allowed  for  straight  connection). 

For  larger  buildings  which  require  plants  of  more  than 
one-sweeper  capacity,  all  items  of  cost  run  higher.  On 
large  installations  the  entire  job  is  usually  laid  out  in  detail. 
The  cost  of  plain  electric  connection  will  depend  on  H.P.  of 
motor  and  length  of  wire;  from  $20.00  to  $60.00  should  cover 
this.  Add  to  the  above  items,  cost  of  cartage,  freight,  if  any, 
installation  and  setting  of  machine,  testing,  and  any  extras 
called  for.  For  rough  estimates,  the  following  figures  can 
l)e  used  to  cover  multi-sweeper  electric  Vacuum  Cleaners, 
positive  rotary  pump  type.  These  figures  include  freight 
except  for  extreme  Southern  and  Western  states.  With  all 


EQUIPMENT     OF     BUILDINGS  665 

machines  are  included  the  same  number  of  sets  of  hose  and 
tools  as  the  sweeper  capacity  rating. 

Sweeper  Capacity  H.P.  Cost 

2  5  $1000.00 

3  IVz  1400.00 

4  10  1800.00 

5  12^  2125.00 

6  15  2375.00 
Larger  plants  are  used  only  in  very  large  buildings. 

For  estimating  on  size  of  plant  necessary,  it  can  be  said 
roughly  that  one  operator,  with  machine  sufficiently  power- 
ful, can  clean  about  2500  square  feet  per  hour  on  carpets, 
rugs,  etc.,  and  about  4000  square  feet  per  hour  on  bare  wood 
and  tile  floors. 

Proper  size  of  piping  is  most  important.  The  following 
general  rules  cover  most  cases: 

1.  Use  no  piping  smaller  than  l1/^". 

2.  Leave  1"  outlets  for  hose  connections. 

3.  For  one-sweeper  machines  use  iy2"  pipe. 

.  For  two-sweeper  machines  use  2"  pipe.  In  case  there 
are  branches  on  which  not  more  than  one-sweeper  will  be 
used  at  a  time,  a  iy2"  can  be  used. 

5.  For  three-sweeper  machines,  use  2V2"  pipe  for  mains, 
with  2"  and  iy2"  branches,  according  to  number  of  sweepers 
to  be  operated  from  branch. 

6.  For  four-sweeper   machine,   use   3"   pipe   with   smaller 
branches. 

7.  For  five-sweeper  machine,  use  3*£"  pipe  with  smaller 
branches. 

8.  For   six-sweeper   machine,    use    4"    pipe    with    smaller 
branches. 

9.  Always  use  long  sweep  fittings  with  recessed  threads, 
with  brass  cleanout  plugs  at  all  turns.     Sanitary  drainage 
fittings  or  "RICHMOND"  Smooth-bore  fittings  are  satisfac- 
tory.   All  pipe  ends  must  be  carefully  squared  and  reamed. 


666  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

On  electrically  driven  reciprocating  pump  machines,  prices 
are  about  as  follows: 

2  H.P.  one-sweeper  capacity  machine   $  450.00 

3  H.P.  one-sweeper  capacity  machine   900.00 

iy2  H.P.  two-sweeper  capacity  machine   1400.00 

10  H.P.  three-sweeper  capacity  machine    1750.00 

15  H.P.  four-sweeper  capacity  machine  2250.00 

15  H.P.  five-sweeper  capacity  machine   2625.00 

20  H.P.  six-sweeper  capacity  machine   3000.00 

Steam  aspirator  plants  are  very  efficient  and  economical 
when  steam  is  available  at  65  Ibs.  or  over.  The  following 
estimates  include  complete  machines  with  hose  and  tools 
as  per  sweeper  rating.  The  installation  costs  are  about  the 
same  as  for  electric,  and  the  same  rules  for  pipe  sizes  apply. 

One-sweeper    capacity    $  480.00 

Two-sweeper  capacity 720.00 

Three-sweeper    capacity    960.00 

Four-sweeper    capacity    1200.00 

Five-sweeper  capacity    1440.00 

Six-sweeper   capacity    1680.00 

If  desired,  remote  control  system  can  be  installed  for 
motor,  in  which  case,  automatic  starter  is  desirable  with 
momentary  contact  push  button  switches  on  each  floor 
where  required.  For  automatic  starters,  costs  are  about  as 
follows : 

A.C.  B.C. 

1-H.P.  Automatic  Starter     $20.00  $30.00 

2-H.P.  Automatic  Starter     25.00  32.50 

3-H.P,  Automatic  Starter     .  30.00  35.00 


CHAPTER    XLV. 

APARTMENT    HOUSES, 

METHOD: — In  a  discussion  of  the  merits  of  such  an  exten- 
sive physical  valuation  of  property  as  that  of  Cleveland 
many  real  estate  men  said  that  a  better  index  of  value  is  the 
return  from  the  investment.  As  we  have  seen  in  the  chap- 
ter on  Physical  Valuation,  the  amount  and  market  value  of 
stocks  and  bonds  are  taken  into  account  in  valuations  of 
railroad  property,  and  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States  has  decided  that  the  reproduction  value  is  only  one 
element  of  several  to  be  considered. 

It  is  seen,  therefore,  that  the  appraiser  of  property  has  to 
consider  more  than  the  value  of  the  brickwork  and  other 
items  in  a  building.  As  a  guide  to  getting  at  the  cost  of 
operating  apartment  houses  the  following  tables  are  given. 
They  are  from  the  accurate  book  accounts  of  one  of  the 
large  companies  in  New  York  City/  that  makes  a  specialty  of 
caring  for  this  class  of  property.  They  are  the  averages  for 
three  years. 

OLD-STYLE,      NON-FIREPROOF,      HIGH      CLASS     APART- 
MENT HOUSES 

DESCRIPTION: — Seven  stories;  brick  on  corner  lot;  high 
ceilings;  trim,  birch,  cherry,  mahogany;  1  hydraulic  and  1 
electric  elevator;  buildings  are  kept  in  highest  state  of  re- 
pairs, and  the  service  is  first  class. 

No.  1         No.  2 
Number  rentable  rooms  (excluding  baths 

and  closets)    96  15& 

Cubical  contents  in  feet  327,900        682,700 

Gross  rents  $17,670.00     $28,200.00 

Vacancies  and  loss  of  rent 

667 


668  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

COSTS  TO  GROSS  RENTS. 

Percentage  Percentage 

Heat  and  hot  water 6.50 

Heat,  power  and  mechanical  repairs  . . .  8.02 

Fuel  and  removing  ashes 7.10 

Elevator  service   4.80 

Elevator  labor,  repairs  and  supplies  . . .  5.46 

Janitor's  labor  and  supplies   3.78  5.97 

Public  lighting  and  supplies  1.23  1.80 

Supervision     3^  6.02 

Building    repairs    11.80  8.05 

Insurance     1.44  1.59 

Water    .99  1.24 

Taxes    9.48  16.70 

Gross  cost  of  operation 55.19  57.45 

Net  cost  of  operation  45.71  38.98 


Heat  and  hot  water  per  1000  cu.  ft.  per 

season  $2.69 

Hepairs  and  supplies  per  elevator  per 

annum  $180.00  100.00 

Janitor's  supplies  to  his  labor 7.3^ 

Electric  power  per  elevator  per  annum  504.00 
Mechanical  repairs  and  supplies  to-  coal 

bill    38^ 

PER  RENTABLE  ROOM  PER  ANNUM. 

Gross  rent   $184.00       $178.50 

Heat,  power,  repairs  and  supplies  27.80             11.58 

Elevator  service  (labor,  repairs  and  sup- 
plies)      10.00               8.60 

Janitor  service  6.95             10.70 

Public   lighting    2.26               3.21 

Supervision   5.50             10.70 

Building  repairs    21.60             14.40 

Insurance   2.66               2.82 


APARTMENT     HOUSES  669 

Water 

Taxes  15.55              29.80 

Sundries    4.96               5.38 

Vacancies  .  3.16 


Gross   cost    of  operation    per    rentable 

room  per  annum  $99.11         $102.56 

Net   return   to   owner   per   rentable   room 

per  annum    .'         84.89  75.94 

Per  cent,  net  return  to  book  value  of  prop- 
erty      3.95  5.34 


To  the  ordinary  investor  the  rate  of  net  return  does  not 
seem  large  enough  to  tempt  him  to  buy  shares  in  such  a 
building  —  but  owners  often  manage  an  apartment  house 
themselves  with  better  results,  although  they  do  not  always 
charge  up  the  proper  amount  for  salaries  for  their  own  labor. 
Then,  there  is  no  allowance  in  the  foregoing  table  for  depre- 
ciation. A  fund  ought  to  be  set  aside  for  that. 

MODERN,    SEMI-FIREPROOF,    MEDIUM    GRADE 
APARTMENTS 

DESCRIPTION:—  Seven  to  eight  stories;   electric  elevators; 
two  baths  per  apartment;   marble  and  gilt  entrance  halls. 

No.  1        No.  2 
Number  of  rentable  rooms  (no  closets  or 

bathrooms)     ......................  110  248 

Cubical  contents  in  feet  ..................  349,920         701,000 

Gross  rents  ...........................  $15,800.00     $35,200.00 

Vacancies  and  loss  of  rents  to  gross  rents 


COSTS  TO  GROSS  RENTS 

Percentage  Percentage 
Heat  and  hot  water  ...................          10.45  5.02 

Elevator  service   ......................  6.88  5.94 

Janitor's  service    ......................  2.07  2.04 

Public  lighting  .....................  2.11  3.48 


670 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Supervision   2.72  2.59 

Building  repairs    10.10  11.30 

Insurance    1.59  .75 

Water    2.44  1.09 

Taxes  9.70  13.00 

Gross  cost  of  operation 48.06  59.61 

Net  cost  of  operation  (taxes) 38.36  32.21 

MISCELLANEOUS  COSTS. 

Heat  and  hot  water  per  1000  cu.  ft.  of 

bldg.  per  season  $4.80  $2.52 

Heating,  repairs  and  supplies  to  cost  of 

coal .37.100  13.000 

Repairs  and  supplies  per  elevator  per 

annum  $155.00  $143.50 

Elevator  and  house  pump  power  per  ele- 
vator per  annum 330.00  415.00 

Janitor's  supplies  to  his  labor  14.100  19.700 

PER  RENTABLE  ROOM  PER  ANNUM 

Gross  rent   $143.50  $144.00 

Heat  rent 15.05  7.12 

Elevator  service 9.87  8.42 

Janitor's  service    2.94  2.89 

Public  lighting  3.02  4.90 

Supervision 3.90  3.68 

Building  repairs 14.46  14.88 

Insurance   2.83  1.25 

Water  (No.  1,  meter;  No.  2,  front  charge)  3.49  1.16 

Taxes  13.86  19.60 

Loss  of  rent  and  vacancies 20.15 

Gross  cost  of  operation 69.42  84.05 

Net  return  to  owner 74.08  59.95 

Per  cent,  net  return  to  book    value    of 

property      6.780  5.950 


APARTMENT     HOUSES  671 

GOOD  GRADE   NON-FIREPROOF   FLATS 

DESCRIPTION:— Five  stories;  no  elevator;  brick;  bath  and 

toilets;  cold  water;  stores  on  ground  floor  which  bring  up 
rent  average  per  room;  janitor  service  for  halls  only;  tene- 
meDt  rented  by  a  good  class  of  tradesmen. 

No.  1  No.  2 

Number  of  rentable  rooms,  equivalent  .             120  111 

Gross  rents $7661  $7000 

COSTS  TO  GROSS  RENTS 

Percentage  Percentage 

Janitor   service    4.70  6.00 

Public  lighting 1.90  1.50 

Building  repairs    12.50  14.80 

Insurance   1.10  1.50 

Water    2.40  2.10 

Taxes 15.00  13.50 

Sundries    .20  .41 

Supervision 5.00  5.00 

Operation,  gross    42.80  52.00 

Operation,  net    27.80  31.40 

PER  RENTABLE  ROOM  PER  ANNUM 

Gross  rents   $64.00  $63.10 

Janitor  service 3.00  3.78 

Public  lighting  1.20  1.00 

Building  repairs    8.05  9.38 

Insurance    0.70  0.94 

Water    1>56  It32 

Taxes    9.60  g.54 

Sundries    0.12  0.25 

Supervision    3.24  3.14 

Vacancies     4  50 

Gross  cost  of  operation   27.47  32.85 

Net  cost  of  operation .      36.53  30.25 

Per  cent,  net  return  to  book    value    of 

property   4.87  5.15 


672  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

INTEREST: — The  rate  of  return  on  all  the  classes  listed 
runs  from  3.95  per  cent,  per  annum  to  6.78;  and  there  is  no 
allowance  for  a  depreciation  fund.  Many  real  estate  men  as- 
sert that  the  man  with  the  mortgage  or  the  bond  always 
comes  out  ahead  in  the  long  run.  A  net  return  of  six  per 
cent,  on  a  mortgage  is  not  unusual,  and  there  is  no  worry  on 
any  account  if  it  is  well  placed — no  vacancies,  repairs,  cy- 
clones, earthquakes,  or  loss  of  income  through  fires. 

OPERATING  COST:— Some  authorities  say  that  four 
months'  rent  should  cover  all  expenses  of  operating  a  mod- 
ern apartment,  or  33  1-3  per  cent,  of  the  returns,  while  others 
allow  40  per  cent.  In  case  of  a  panic  or  dull  times  the 
apartments  with  the  highest  rents  suffer  most. 

PHYSICAL  VALUATION:— If  the  valuation  is  to  be  based  on 
the  reproduction  cost  alone  and  a  depreciation  allowed,  the 
rate  of  net  return  does  not  have  to  be  considered  as  a  fac- 
tor; but  if  it  has,  the  foregoing  figures  may  surprise  some. 
An  operating  cost  ranging  from  33  to  40  per  cent,  cuts  down 
a  high  valuation,  unless  a  low  percentage  is  accepted  for  the 
unit. 


CHAPTER    XLVI. 


WAGE  TABLES 

So  far  as  wages  go,  the  table  is  self-explanatory;  but  it 
may  also  be  used  as  a  multiplication  table,  or  to  check  cal- 
culations from  any  numbers  from  10  to  90  multiplied  by  any 
from  1  to  60.  Thus,  59  times  81=4779;  24  times  14=336. 

The  rate  from  10  cents  per  hour  to  90  will  cover  all  build- 
ing work  under  ordinary  conditions,  but  by  adding  two  num- 
bers together  a  larger  rate  can  be  figured.  Thus,  85  cents 
and  10  make  95,  which  multiplied  by,  say,  43  hours=$4.30 
added  to  $36.55=$40.85. 

The  fractional  table  is  used  by  adding  the  two  sums  to- 
gether. Thus,  56  hours  at  67^  cents=$37.52  added  to 
$0.28=$37.80. 

Fractional  Table 


Hours 

Rate  Iff 
Am't 

Rate  \i 
Am't 

Rate  \t 
Am't 

Hours 

Rate  It 
Am't 

Rate  \t 
Am't 

Rate  It 
Am't 

1 

, 

* 

| 

31 

71 

15* 

231 

2 

i 

1 

if 

32 

84 

16 

24 

3 

| 

1* 

21 

33 

81 

16* 

243 

4 

1 

2 

3 

34 

8* 

17 

25* 

5 

H 

2* 

31 

35 

81 

17* 

261 

6 

1* 

3 

4* 

36 

9 

18 

27 

7 

If 

3* 

51 

37 

91 

18* 

271 

8 
9 

2 

21 

4 

6 
61 

38 
39 

9* 
91 

19 
19* 

28* 
291 

10 

2* 

5* 

7* 

40 

10 

20 

30 

11 
12 

21 

3 

62 

81 
9 

41 
42 

101 
10* 

20* 
21 

301 
31* 

13 

31 

6* 

91 

43 

101 

21* 

321 

14 

3* 

7 

10* 

44 

11 

22 

33 

15 

31 

7* 

HI 

45 

111 

22* 

331 

16 

4 

8 

12 

46 

11* 

23 

34* 

17 

41 

8* 

47 

111 

23* 

351 

18 

4* 

9 

13* 

48 

12 

24 

36 

19 

41 

9* 

,  141 

49 

121 

24* 

36f 

20 
21 

5 
51 

10 
10* 

15 
151 

50 
51 

lit 

25 
25* 

37  * 

22 

5* 

11 

16* 

52 

13 

26 

39* 

23 

51 

11* 

171 

53 

131 

26* 

39| 

24 

6 

12 

18 

54 

13* 

27 

40* 

25 

61 

12* 

55 

131 

27* 

411 

26 

6* 

13 

19* 

56 

14 

28 

42 

27 
28 
29 

61 

7 
71 

1!! 

201 
21 
211 

57 
58 
59 

141 
14* 
14f 

28* 
29 
29* 

421 
43* 

441 

30 

7* 

15 

22* 

60 

15 

30 

45 

673 


674 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


HOURLY   TABLE    OF   WAGES 
Calculated  upon   Rate  per  Hour,  from   10  cents  to  20  cents 


Rate 

10* 

11* 

12* 

13* 

14* 

15* 

16* 

17* 

18* 

19* 

20* 

Hours 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.10 

.11 

.12 

.13 

.14 

.15 

.16 

.17 

.18 

.19 

.20 

2 

.20 

.22 

.24 

.26 

.28 

.30 

.32 

.34 

.36 

.38 

.40 

3 

.30 

.33 

.36 

.39 

.42 

.45 

.48 

.51 

.54 

.57 

.60 

4 

.40 

.44 

.48 

.52 

.56 

.60 

.64 

.68 

.72 

.76 

.80 

5 

.50 

.55 

.60 

.65 

.70 

.75 

.80 

.85 

.90 

.95 

1.00 

6 

.60 

.66 

.72 

.78 

.84 

.90 

.96 

1.02 

1.08 

1.14 

1.20 

7 

.70 

.77 

.84 

.91 

.98 

1.05 

1.12 

1.19 

1.26 

1.33 

1.40 

8 

.80 

.88 

.96 

1.04 

1.12 

1.20 

1.28 

1.36 

1.44 

1.52 

1.60 

9 

.90 

.99 

1.08 

1.17 

1.26 

1.35 

1.44 

1.53 

1.62 

1.71 

1.80 

10 

1.00 

1.10 

1.20 

1.30 

1.40 

1.50 

1.60 

1.70 

1.80 

1.90 

2.00 

11 

1.10 

1.21 

1.32 

1.43 

1.54 

1.65 

1.76 

1.87 

1.98 

2.09 

2.20 

12 

1.20 

1.32 

1.44 

1.56 

1.68 

1.80 

1.92 

2.04 

2.16 

2.28 

2.40 

13 

1.30 

1.43 

1.56 

1.69 

1.82 

1.95 

2.08 

2.21 

2.34 

2.47 

2.60 

14 

1.40 

1.54 

1.68 

1.82 

1.96 

2.10 

2.24 

2.38 

2.52 

2.66 

2.80 

15 

1.50 

1.65 

1.80 

1.95 

2.10 

2.25 

2.40 

2.55 

2.70 

2.85 

3.CO 

16 

1.60 

1.76 

1.92 

2.08 

2.24 

2.40 

2.56 

2.72 

2.88 

3.04 

3.20 

17 

1.70 

1.87 

2.04 

2.21 

2.38 

2.55 

2.72 

2.89 

3.06 

3.23 

3.40 

18 

1.80 

1.98 

2.16 

2.34 

2.52 

2.70 

2.88 

3.06 

3.24 

3.42 

3.60 

19 

1.90 

2.09 

2.28 

2.47 

2.66 

2.85 

3.04 

3.23 

3.42 

3.61 

3.80 

20 

2.00 

2.20 

2.40 

2.60 

2.80 

3.00 

3.20 

3.40 

3.60 

3.80 

4.00 

21 

2.10 

2.31 

2.52 

2.73 

2.94 

3.15 

3.36 

3.57 

3.78 

3.91) 

4.20 

22 

2.20 

2.42 

2.64 

2.86 

3.08 

3.30 

3.52 

3.74 

3.96 

4.18 

4.40 

23 

2.30 

2.53 

2.76 

2.99 

3.22 

3.45 

3.68 

3.91 

4.14 

4.37 

4.60 

24 

2.40 

2.64 

2.88 

3.12 

3.36 

3.60 

3.84 

4.08 

4.32 

4.56 

4.80 

25 

2.50 

2.75 

3.00 

3.25 

3.50 

3.75 

4.00 

4.25 

4.50 

4.75 

5.CO 

26 

2.60 

2.86 

3.12 

3.38 

3.64 

3.90 

4.16 

4.42 

4.68 

4.94 

5.20 

27 

2.70 

2.97 

3.24 

3.51 

3.78 

4.05 

4.32 

4.59 

4.86 

5.13 

5.40 

28 

2.80 

3.08 

3.36 

3.64 

3.92 

4.20 

4.48 

4.76 

5.04 

5.32 

5.60 

29 

2.90 

3.19 

3.48 

3.77 

4.06 

4.35 

4.64 

4.93 

5.22 

5.51 

5.80 

30 

3.00 

3.30 

3.60 

3.90 

4.20 

4.50 

4.80 

5.10 

5.40 

5.70 

6.00 

31 

3.10 

3.41 

3.72 

4.03 

4.34 

4.65 

4.96 

5.27 

5.58 

5.89 

6.20 

32 

3.20 

3.52 

3.84 

4.16 

4.48 

4.80 

5.12 

5.44 

5.76 

6.08 

6.40 

33 

3.30 

3.63 

3.96 

4.29 

4.62 

4.95 

5.28 

5.61 

5.94 

6.27 

6.60 

34 

3.40 

3.74 

4.08 

4.42 

4.76 

5.10 

5.44 

5.78 

6.12 

6.46 

6.80 

35 

3.50 

3.85 

4.20 

4.55 

4.90 

5.25 

5.60 

5.95 

6.30 

6.65 

7.00 

36 

3.60 

3.96 

4.32 

4.68 

5.04 

5.40 

5.76 

6.12 

6.48 

6.84 

7.20 

37 

3.70 

4.07 

4.44 

4.81 

5118 

5.55 

5.92 

6.29 

6.66 

7.03 

7.40 

38 

3.80 

4.18 

4.56 

4.94 

5.32 

5.70 

6.08 

6.46 

6.84 

7.22 

7.60 

39 

3.90 

4.29 

4.68 

5.07 

5.46 

5.85 

6.24 

6.63 

7.02 

7.41 

7.80 

i    40 

4.00 

4.40 

4.80 

5.20 

5.60 

6.00 

6.40 

6.80 

7.20 

7.60 

8.00 

41 

4.10 

4.51 

4.92 

5.33 

5.74 

6.15 

6.56 

6.97 

7.38 

7.79 

8.20 

42 

4.20 

4.62 

5.04 

5.46 

5.88 

6.30 

6.72 

7.14 

7.56 

7.98 

8.40 

43 

4.30 

4.73 

5.16 

5.59 

6.02 

6.45 

6.88 

7.31 

7.74 

8.17 

8.CO 

44 

4.40 

4.84 

5.28 

5.72 

6.16 

6.60 

7.04 

7.48 

7.92 

8.36 

8.80 

45 

4.50 

4.95 

5.40 

5.85 

6.30 

6.75 

7.20 

7.65 

8.10 

8.55 

9.00 

46 

4.60 

5.06 

5.52 

5.98 

6.44 

6.90 

7.36 

7.82 

8.28 

8.74 

9.20 

47 

4.70 

5.17 

5.64 

6.11 

6.58 

7.05 

7.52 

7.99 

8.46 

8.93 

9.40 

48 

4.80 

5.28 

5.76 

6.24 

6.72 

7.20 

7.68 

8.16 

8.64 

9.12 

9.CO 

49 

4.90 

5.39 

5.88 

6.37 

6.86 

7.35 

7.84 

8.33 

8.82 

9.31 

9.80 

50 

5.00 

5.50 

6.00 

6.50 

7.00 

7.50 

8.00 

8.50 

9.00 

9.50 

10.00 

51 

5.10 

5.61 

6.12 

6.63 

7.14 

7.65 

8.16 

8.67 

9.18 

9.69 

10.20 

52 

5.20 

5.72 

6.24 

6.76 

7.28 

7.80 

8.32 

8.84 

9.36 

9.88 

10.40 

53 

5.30 

5.83 

6.36 

6.89 

7.42 

7.95 

8.48 

9.01 

9.54 

10.07 

10.60 

54 

5.40 

5.94 

6.48 

7.02 

7.56 

8.10 

8.64 

9.18 

9.72 

10.26 

10.80 

55 

5.50 

6.05 

6.60 

7.15 

7.70 

8.25 

8.80 

9.35 

9.90 

10.45 

11.00 

56 

5.60 

6.16 

6.72 

7.28 

7.84 

S.40 

8.96 

9.52 

10.08 

10.64 

11.20 

57 

5.70 

6.27 

6.84 

7.41 

7.98 

8.55 

9.12 

9.69 

10.26 

10.83 

11.40 

58 

5.80 

6.38 

6.96 

7.54 

8.12 

8.70 

9.28 

9.86 

10.44 

11.02 

11.60 

59 

5.90 

ft  49 

7.08 

7.67 

«.26 

8.85 

9.44 

10.03 

10.62 

11.21 

11.80 

60 

6.00 

6.60 

7.20 

7.80 

8.40 

9.00 

fi.60 

10.20 

10.80 

11.40 

12.00 

WAGE    TABLES 


675 


HOURLY  TABLE   OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon   Rate  per  Hour,  from  21  cents  to  30  cents 


Rate 

2U 

22i 

23  i 

24  1 

25t 

26£ 

Hi 

28£ 

29* 

30£ 

Hours 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.21 

.22 

.23 

.24 

.25 

'  .26 

.27 

.28 

.29 

.30 

2 

.42 

!44 

.46 

.48 

.50 

.52 

.54 

.56 

.58 

.60 

3 

.63 

.66 

.69 

.72 

.75 

.78 

.81 

.84 

.87 

.90 

4 

.84 

.88 

.92 

.96 

1.00 

1.04 

1.08 

1.12 

1.16 

1.20 

5 

1.05 

1.10 

1.15 

1.20 

1.25 

1.30 

1.35 

1.40 

1.45 

1.50 

6 

1.26 

1.32 

1.38 

1.44 

1.50 

1.56 

1.62 

1.68 

1.74 

1.80 

7 

1.47 

1.54 

1.61 

1.68 

1.75 

1.82 

1.89 

1.96 

2.03 

2.10 

8 

1.68 

1.76 

1.84 

1.92 

2.00 

2.08 

2.16 

2.24 

2.32 

2.40 

9 

1.89 

1.98 

2.07 

2.16 

2.25 

2.34 

2.43 

2.52 

2.61 

2.70 

10 

2.10 

2.20 

2.30 

2.40 

2.50 

2.60 

2.70 

2.80 

2.50 

3.CO 

11 

2.31 

2.42 

2.53 

2.64 

2.75 

2.86 

2.97 

3.08 

3.19 

3.30 

12 

2.52 

2.64 

2.76 

2.88 

3.00 

3.12 

3.24 

3.36 

3.48 

3.60 

13 

2.73 

2.86 

2.99 

3.12 

3.25 

3.38 

3.51 

3.64 

3.77 

3.SO 

14 

2.94 

3.08 

3.22 

3.36 

3.50 

3.64 

3.78 

3.92 

4.06 

4.20 

15 

3.15 

3.30 

3.45 

3.60 

3.75 

3.90 

4.05 

4.20 

4.35 

4.SO 

16 

3.36 

3.52 

3.68 

3.84 

4.00 

4.16 

4.32 

4.48 

4.64 

4.SO 

17 

3.57 

3.74 

3.91 

4.08 

4.25 

4.42 

4.59 

4.76 

4.93 

5.10 

18 

3.78 

3.96 

4.14 

4.32 

4.50 

4.68 

4.86 

5.04 

5.22 

5.40 

19 

3.99 

4.18 

4.37 

4.56 

4.75 

4.94 

5.13 

5.32 

5.51 

5.70 

23 

4.20 

4.40 

4.60 

4.80 

5.00 

5.20 

5.40 

5.60 

5.80 

6.00 

21 

4.41 

4.62 

4.83 

5.04 

5.25 

5.46 

5.67 

5.88 

6.09 

6.30 

22 

4.62 

4.84 

5.06 

5.28 

5.50 

5.72 

5.94 

6.16 

6.38 

6.60 

23 

4.83 

5.06 

5.29 

5.52 

5.75 

5.98 

6.21 

6.44 

6.67 

6.90 

24 

5.04 

5.28 

5.52 

5.76 

6.00 

6.24 

6.48 

6.72 

6.96 

7.20 

25 

5.25 

5.50 

5.75 

6.00 

6.25 

6.50 

6.75 

7.00 

7.25 

7.50 

26 

5.46 

5.72 

5.98 

6.24 

6.50 

6.76 

7.02 

7.28 

7.54 

7.80 

27 

5.67 

5.94 

6.21 

6.48 

6.75 

7.02 

7.29 

7.56 

7.83 

8.10 

28 

5.88 

6.16 

6.44 

6.72 

7.00 

7.28 

7.56 

7.84 

8.12 

8.40 

29 

6.09 

6.38 

6.67 

6.96 

7.25 

7.54 

7.83 

8.12 

8.41 

8.70 

30 

6.30 

6.60 

6.90 

7.20 

7.50 

7.80 

8.10 

8.40 

8.70 

9.00 

31 

6.51 

6.82 

7.13 

7.44 

7.75 

8.06 

8.37 

8.68 

8.99 

9.30 

32 

6.72 

7.04 

7.36 

7.68 

8.00 

8.32 

8.64 

8.96 

9.28 

9.CO 

33 

6.93 

7.26 

7.59 

7.92 

8.25 

8.58 

8.91 

9.24 

9.57 

9.SO 

34 

7.14 

7.48 

7.82 

8.16 

8.50 

8.84 

9.18 

9.52 

9.86 

10.20 

35 

7.35 

7.70 

8.05 

8.40 

8.75 

9.10 

9.45 

9.80 

10.15 

10.50 

36 

7.56 

7.92 

8.28 

8.64 

9.00 

9.36 

9.72 

10.08 

10.44 

10.80 

37 

7.77 

8.14 

8.51 

8.88 

9.25 

9.62 

9.99 

10.36 

10.73 

11.10 

38 

7.98 

8.36 

8.74 

9.12 

9.50 

9.88 

10.26 

10.64 

11.02 

11.40 

39 

8.19 

8.58 

8.97 

9.36 

9.75 

10.14 

10.53 

10.92 

11.31 

11.70 

40 

8.40 

8.80 

9.20 

9.60 

10.00 

10.40 

10.80 

11.20 

11.60 

12.00 

41 

8.61 

9.02 

9.43 

9.84 

10.25 

10.66 

11.07 

11.48 

11.89 

12.30 

42 

8.82 

9.24 

9.66 

10.08 

10.50 

10.92 

11.34 

11.76 

12.18 

12.60 

43 

9.03 

9.46 

9.89 

10.32 

10.75 

11.18 

11.61 

12.04 

12.47 

12.  SO 

44 

9.24 

9.68 

10.12 

10.56 

11.00 

11.44 

11.88 

12.32 

12.76 

13.20 

45 

9.45 

9.90 

10.35 

10.80 

11.25 

11.70 

12.15 

12.60 

13.05 

13.50 

46 

9.66 

10.12 

10.58 

11.04 

11.50 

11.96 

12.42 

12.88 

13.34 

13.80 

47 

9.87 

10.34 

10.81 

11.28 

11.75 

12.22 

12.69 

13.16 

13.63 

14.10 

48 

10.08 

10.56 

11.04 

11.52 

12.00 

12.48 

12.96 

13.44 

13.92 

14.40 

49 

10.29 

10.78 

11.27 

11.76 

12.25 

12.74 

13.23 

13.72 

14.21 

14.70 

50 

10.50 

11.00 

11.50 

12.00 

12.50 

13.00 

13.50 

14.00 

14.50 

15.00 

51 

10.71 

11.22 

11.73 

12.24 

12.75 

13.26 

13.77 

14.28 

14.79 

15.20 

52 

10.92 

11.44 

11.96 

12.48 

13.00 

13.52 

14.04 

14.56 

15.08 

15.6O 

53 

11.13 

11.66 

12.19 

12.72 

13.25 

13.78 

14.31 

14.84 

15.37 

15.SO 

54 

11.34 

11.88 

12.42 

12.96 

13.50 

14.04 

14.58 

15.12 

15.66 

16.20 

55 

11.55 

12.10 

12.65 

13.20 

13.75 

14.30 

14.85 

15.40 

15.95 

16.50 

56 

11.76 

12.32 

12.88 

13.44 

14.00 

14.56 

15.12 

15.68 

16.24 

16.8O 

57 

11.97 

12.54 

13.11 

13.68 

14.25 

14.82 

15.39 

15.96 

16.53 

17.1O 

58 

12.18 

12.76 

13.34 

13.92 

14.50 

15.08 

15.86 

16.24 

16.82 

17.40 

59 

12.39 

12.98 

13.57 

14.16 

14.75 

15.34 

15.93 

16.52 

17.11 

17.70 

60 

12.60 

13.20 

13.80 

14.40 

15.00 

15.60 

16.20 

16.80 

17.40 

18.00 

676 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


HOURLY  TABLE   OF   WAGES 
Calculated   upon    Rate   per   Hour,  from   31    to  40  cents 


Rate 

310 

32  0 

330 

340 

350 

360 

370 

380 

390 

400 

i  Hours 

Am't 

Ain't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.31 

.32 

.33 

:34 

.35 

.36 

.37 

.38 

.39 

.40 

2 

.62 

.64 

.66 

.68 

.70 

.72 

.74 

.76 

.78 

.80 

3 

.93 

.96 

.99 

1.02 

1.05 

1.08 

1.11 

1.14 

1.17 

1.20 

4 

1.24 

1.28 

1.32 

1.36 

1.40 

1.44 

1.48 

1.52 

1.56 

1.60 

5 

1.55 

1.60 

1.65 

1.70 

1.75 

1.80 

1.85 

1.90 

1.95 

2.00 

6 

1.86 

1.92 

1.98 

2.04 

2.10 

2.16 

2.22 

2.28 

2.34 

2.40 

7 

2.17 

2.24 

2.31 

2.38 

2.45 

2.52 

2.59 

2.66 

2.73 

2.80 

8 

2.48 

2.56 

2.64 

2.72 

2.80 

2.88 

2.96 

3.04 

3.12 

3.20 

9 

2.79 

2.88 

2.97 

3.06 

3.15 

3.24 

3.33 

3.42 

3.51 

3.60 

10 

3.10 

3.20 

3.30 

3.40 

3.50 

3.60 

3.70 

3.80 

3.90 

4.CO 

11 

3.41 

3.52 

3.63 

3.74 

3.85 

3.96 

4.07 

4.18 

4.29 

4.40 

12 

3.72 

3.84 

3.96 

4.08 

4.20 

4.32 

4.44 

4.56 

4.68 

4.80 

13 

4.03 

4.16 

4.29 

4.42 

4.55 

4.68 

4.81 

4.94 

•  5.07 

5.20 

14 

4.34 

4.48 

4.62 

4.76 

4.90 

5.04 

5.18 

5.32 

5.46 

5.60 

15 

4.65 

4.80 

4.95 

5.10 

5.25 

5.40 

5.55 

5.70 

5.85 

6.00 

16 

4.96 

5.12 

5.28 

5.44 

5.60 

5.76 

5.92 

6.08 

6.24 

6.40 

17 

5.27 

5.44 

5.61 

5.78 

5.95 

6.12 

6.29 

6.46 

6.63 

6.80 

18 

5.58 

5.76 

5.94 

6.12 

6.30 

6.48 

6.66 

6.84 

7.02 

7.20 

19 

5.89 

6.08 

6.27 

6.46 

6.65 

6.84 

7.03 

7.22 

7.41 

7.60 

23 

6.20 

6.40 

6.60 

6.80 

7.00 

7.20 

7.40 

7.60 

7.80 

8.00 

21 

6.51 

6.72 

6.93 

7.14 

7.35 

7.56 

7.77 

7.98 

8.19 

8.40 

22 

6.82 

7.04 

7.26 

7.48 

7.70 

7.92 

8.14 

8.36 

8.58 

8.80 

23 

7.13 

7.36 

7.59 

7.82 

8.05 

8.28 

8.51 

8.74 

8.97 

9.20 

21 

7.44 

7.6S 

7.92 

8.16 

8.40 

8.64 

8.88 

9.12 

9.36 

9.CO 

25 

7.75 

8.00 

8.25 

8.50 

8.75 

9.00 

9.25 

9.50 

9.75 

10.00 

26 

8.06 

8.32 

8.58 

8.84 

9.10 

9.36 

9.62 

9.88 

10.14 

10.40 

27 

8.37 

8.64 

8.91 

9.18 

9.45 

9.72 

9.99 

10.26 

10.53 

10.80 

28 

8.68 

8.96 

9.24 

9.52 

9.80 

10.08 

10.36 

10.64 

10.92 

11.20 

29 

8.99 

9.28 

9.57 

9.86 

10.15 

10.44 

10.73 

11.02 

11.31 

11.  eo 

30 

9.30 

9.60 

9.90 

10.20 

10.50 

10.80 

11.10 

11.40 

11.70 

12.00 

31 

9.61 

9.92 

10.23 

10.54 

10.85 

11.16 

11.47 

11.78 

12.09 

12.40 

32 

9.92 

10.24 

10.56 

10.88 

11.20 

11.52 

11.84 

12.16 

12.48 

12.SO 

33 

10.23 

10.56 

10.89 

11.22 

11.55 

11.88 

12.21 

12.54 

12.87 

13.20 

34 

10.54 

10.88 

11.22 

11.56 

11.90 

12.24 

12.58 

12.92 

13.26 

13.60 

35 

10.85 

11.20 

11.55 

11.90 

12.25 

12.60 

12.95 

13.30 

13.65 

14.  CO 

36 

11.16 

11.52 

11.88 

12.24 

12.60 

12.96 

13.32 

13.68 

14.04 

14.40 

37 

11.47 

11.84 

12.21 

12.58 

12.95 

13.32 

13.69 

14.06 

14.43 

14.80 

38 

11.78 

12.16 

12.54 

12.92 

13.30 

13.68 

14.06 

14.44 

14.82 

15.20 

39 

12.09 

12.48 

12.87 

13.26 

13.65 

14.04 

14.43 

14.82 

15.21 

15.60 

40 

12.40 

12.80 

13.20 

13.60 

14.00 

14.40 

14.80 

15.20 

15.60 

16.00 

41 

12.71 

13.12 

13.53 

13.94 

14.35 

14.76 

15.17 

15.58 

15.99 

16.40 

42 

13.02 

13.44 

13.86 

14.28 

14.70 

15.12 

15.54 

15.96 

16.38 

16.80 

43 

13.33 

13.76 

14.19 

14.62 

1.5.05 

15.48 

15.91 

16.34 

16.77 

17.20 

44 

13.61 

14.08 

14.52 

14.96 

15.40 

15.84 

16.28 

16.72 

17.16 

17.60 

45 

13.95 

14.40 

14.85 

15.30 

15.75 

16.20 

16.65 

17.10 

17.55 

18.00 

46 

14.26 

14.72 

15.18 

15.64 

16.10 

16.56 

17.02 

17.48 

17.94 

18.40 

47 

14.57 

15.04 

15.51 

15.98 

16.45 

16.92 

17.39 

17.86 

18.33 

18.80 

48 

14.88 

15.36 

15.84 

16.32 

16.80 

17.28 

17.76 

18.24 

18.72 

19.20 

49 

15.19 

15.68 

16.17 

16.66 

17.15 

17.64 

18.13 

18.62 

19.11 

19.CO 

50 

15.50 

16.00 

16.50 

17.00 

17.50 

18.00 

18.50 

19.00 

19.50 

20.00 

51 

15.81 

16.32 

16.83 

17.34 

17.85 

18.36 

18.87 

19.38 

19.89 

20.40 

52 

16.12 

16.64 

17.16 

17.68 

18.20 

18.72 

19.24 

19.76 

20.28 

20.80 

53 

16.43 

16.96 

17.49 

18.02 

18.55 

19.08 

19.61 

20.14 

20.67 

21.20 

54 

16.74 

17.28 

17.82 

18.36 

18.90 

19.44 

19.98 

20.52 

21.06 

21.CO 

55 

17.05 

17.60 

18.15 

18.70 

19.25 

19.80 

20.35 

20.90 

21.45 

22.00 

56 

17.36 

17.92 

18.48 

19.04 

19.60 

20.16 

20.72 

21.28 

21.84 

22.40 

57 

17.67 

18.24 

18.81 

19.38 

19.95 

20.52 

21.09 

21.66 

22.23 

22.80 

58 

17.98 

18.56 

19.14 

19.72 

20.30 

20.88 

21.46 

22.04 

22.62 

23.20 

59 

18.29 

18.88 

19.47 

20.06 

20.65 

21.24 

21.83 

22.42 

23.01 

23.60 

60 

18.60 

19.20 

19.80 

20.40 

21.00 

21.60 

22.20 

22.80 

23.10 

24.00 

WAGE   TABLES 


677 


HOURLY  TABLE   OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon   Rate  per  Hour,  from  41   cents  to  50  cents 


Rate 

41* 

42^ 

43i 

44,5 

45^ 

46ji 

47  1 

48ji 

49^ 

50^ 

Hours 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.41 

.42 

.43 

.44 

.45 

.46 

.47 

.48 

.49 

.50 

2 

.82 

.84 

.86 

.88 

.90 

.92 

.94 

.96 

.98 

1.00 

3 

1.23 

1.26 

1.29 

1.32 

1.35 

1.38 

1.41 

1.44 

1.47 

1.50 

4 

1.64 

1.68 

1.72 

1.76 

1.80 

•1.84 

1.88 

1.92 

1.96 

2.CO 

5 

2.05 

2.10 

2.15 

2.20 

2.25 

2.30 

2.35 

2.40 

2.45 

2.50 

6 

2.46 

2.52 

2.58 

2.64 

2.70 

2.76 

2.82 

2.88 

2.94 

3.00 

7 

2.87 

2.94 

3.01 

3.08 

3.15 

3.22 

3.29 

3.36 

3.43 

3.  SO 

8 

3.28 

3.36 

3.44 

3.52 

3.60 

3.68 

3.76 

3.84 

3.92 

4.00 

9 

3.69 

3.78 

3.87 

3.96 

4.05 

4.14 

4.23 

4.32 

4.41 

4.5O 

10 

4.10 

4.20 

4.30 

4.40 

4.50 

4.60 

4.70 

4.80 

4.90 

5.00 

11 

4.51 

4.62 

4.73 

4.84 

4.95 

5.06 

5.17 

5.28 

5.39 

5.5O 

12 

4.92 

5.04 

5.16 

5.28 

5.40 

5.52 

5.64 

5.76 

5.88 

6.00 

13 

5.33 

5.46 

5.59 

5.72 

5.85 

5.98 

6.11 

6.24 

6.37 

6.&0 

14 

5.74 

5.88 

6.02 

6.16 

6.30 

6.44 

6.58 

6.72 

6.86 

7.CO 

15 

6.15 

6.30 

6.45 

6.60 

6.75 

6.90 

7.05 

7.20 

7.35 

7.50 

16 

6.56 

6.72 

6.88 

7.04 

7.20 

7.36 

7.52 

7.68 

7.84 

8.00 

17 

6.97 

7.14 

7.31 

7.48 

7.65 

7.82 

7.99 

8.16 

8.33 

8.50 

18 

7.38 

7.56 

7.74 

7.92 

8.10 

8.28 

8.46 

8.64 

8.82 

9.00 

19 

7.79 

7.98 

8.17 

8.36 

8.55 

8.74 

8.93 

9.12 

9.31 

9.5O 

20 

8.20 

8.40 

8.60 

8.80 

9.00 

9.20 

9.40 

9.60 

9.80 

10.00 

21 

8.61 

8.82 

9.03 

9.24 

9.45 

9.66 

9.87 

10.08 

10.29 

10.  SO 

22 

9.02 

9.24 

9.46 

9.68 

9.90 

10.12 

10.34 

10.56 

10.78 

11.00 

23 

9.43 

9.66 

9.89 

10.12 

10.35 

10.58 

10.81 

11.04 

11.27 

11.50 

24 

9.84 

10.08 

10.32 

10.56 

10.80 

11.04 

11.28 

11.52 

11.76 

12.00 

25 

10.25 

10.50 

10.75 

11.00 

11.25 

11.50 

11.75 

12.00 

12.25 

12.50 

26 

10.66 

10.92 

11.18 

11.44 

11.70 

11.96 

12.22 

12.48 

12.74 

13.0O 

27 

11.07 

11.34 

11.61 

11.88 

12.15 

12.42 

12.69 

12.96 

13.23 

13.50 

28 

11.48 

11.76 

12.04 

12.32 

12.60 

12.88 

13.16 

13.44 

13.72 

14.00 

29 

11.89 

12.18 

12.47 

12.76 

13.05 

13.34 

13.63 

13.92 

14.21 

14.50 

30 

12.30 

12.60 

12.90 

13.20 

13.50 

13.80 

14.10 

14.40 

14.70 

15.00 

31 

12.71 

13.02 

13.33 

13.64 

13.95 

14.26 

14.57 

14.88 

15.19 

15.50 

32 

13.12 

13.44 

13.76 

14.08 

14.40 

14.72 

15.04 

15.36 

15.68 

16.00 

33 

13.53 

13.86 

14.19 

14.52 

14.85 

15.18 

15.51 

15.84 

16.17 

16.50 

34 

13.94 

14.28 

14.62 

14.96 

15.30 

15.64 

15.98 

16.32 

16.66 

17.00 

35 

14.35 

14.70 

15.05 

15.40 

15.75 

16.10 

16.45 

16.80 

17.15 

17.50 

36 

14.76 

15.12 

15.48 

15.84 

16.20 

16.56 

16.92 

17.28 

17.64 

18.0O 

37 

15.17 

15.54 

15.91 

16.28 

16.65 

17.02 

17.39 

17.76 

18.13 

18.50 

38 

15.58 

15.96 

16.34 

16.72 

17.10 

17.48 

17.86 

18.24 

18.62 

19.00 

39 

15.99 

16.38 

16.77 

17.16 

17.55 

17.94 

18.33 

18.72 

19.11 

19.5O 

40 

16.40 

16.80 

17.20 

17.60 

18.00 

18.40 

18.80 

19.20 

19.60 

20.00 

41 

16.81 

17.22 

17.63 

18.04 

18.45 

18.86 

19.27 

19.68 

20.09 

20.50 

42 

17.22 

17.64 

18.06 

18.48 

18.90 

19.32 

19.74 

20.16 

20.58 

21.0O 

43 

17.63 

18.06 

18.49 

18.92 

19.35 

19.78 

20.21 

20.64 

21.07 

21.50 

44 

18.04 

18.48 

18.92 

19.36 

19.80 

20.24 

20.68 

21.12 

21.56 

22.00 

45 

18.45 

18.90 

19.35 

19.80 

20.25 

20.70 

21.15 

21.60 

22.05 

22.5O 

46 

18.86 

19.32 

19.78 

20.24 

20.70 

21.16 

21.62 

22.08 

22.54 

23.00 

47 

19.27 

19.74 

20.21 

20.68 

21.15 

21.62 

22.09 

22.56 

23.03 

23.50 

48 

19.68 

20.16 

20.64 

21.12 

21.60 

22.08 

22.56 

23.04 

23.52 

24  .00 

49 

20.09 

20.58 

21.07 

21.56 

22.05 

22.54 

23.03 

23.52 

24.01 

24.50 

50 

20.50 

21.00 

21.50 

22.00 

22.50 

23.00 

23.50 

24.00 

24.50 

25.0O 

51 

20.91 

21.42 

21.93 

22.44 

22.95 

23.46 

23.97 

24.48 

24.99 

25.5O 

52 

21.32 

21.84 

22.36 

22.88 

23.40 

23.92 

24.44 

24.96 

25.48 

26.00 

53 

21.73 

22.26 

22.79 

23.32 

23.85 

24.38 

27.91 

25.44 

25.97 

26.5O 

54 

22.14 

22.68 

23.22 

23.76 

24.30 

24.84 

28.38 

25.92 

26.46 

27.00 

55 

22.55 

23.10 

23.65 

24.20 

24.75 

25.30 

28.85 

26.40 

26.95 

27.50 

56 

22.96 

23.52 

24.08 

24.64 

25.20 

25.76 

26.32 

26.88 

27.44 

28.0O 

57 

23.37 

23.94 

24.51 

25.08 

25.65 

26.22 

26.79 

27.36 

27.  S3 

28.5O 

58 

23.78 

24.36 

24.94 

25.52 

26.10 

26.68 

27.26 

27.84 

28.42 

29.0O 

59 

24.19 

24.78 

25.37 

25.96 

26.55 

27.14 

27.73 

28.32 

28.91 

29.5O 

60 

24.60 

25.20 

25.80 

26.40 

27.00 

27.60 

28.20 

28.80 

29.40 

30.00 

678 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


HOURLY  TABLE  OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon   Rate  per  Hour,  from  51   cents  to  60  cents 


Rate 

5M 

52^ 

53^ 

54^ 

55j< 

5Gt 

57i 

58* 

59* 

60* 

Hours 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.51 

.52 

.53 

.54 

.55 

.56 

.57 

.58 

.59 

.60 

2 

1.02 

1.04 

1.06 

1.08 

1.10 

1.12 

1.14 

1.16 

1.18 

1.20 

3 

1.53 

1.56 

1.59 

1.62 

1.65 

1.68 

1.71 

1.74 

1.77 

1.80 

4 

2.04 

2.08 

2.12 

2.16 

2.20 

2.24 

2.28 

2.32 

2.36 

2.40 

5 

2.55 

2.60 

2.65 

2.70 

2.75 

2.80 

2.85 

2.90 

2.95 

3.00 

6 

3.06 

3.12 

3.18 

3.24 

3.30 

3.36 

3.42 

3.48 

3.54 

3.60 

7 

3.57 

3.64 

3.71 

3.78 

3.85 

3.92 

3.99 

4.06 

4.13 

4.20 

8 

4.08 

4.16 

4.24 

4.32 

4.40 

4.48 

4.56 

4.64 

4.72 

4.80 

9 

4.59 

4.68 

4.77 

4.86 

4.95 

5.04 

5.13 

5.22 

5.31 

5.40 

10 

5.10 

5.20 

5.30 

5.40 

5.50 

5.60 

5.70 

5.80 

5.90 

6.00 

11 

5.61 

5.72 

5.83 

5.94 

6.05 

6.16 

6.27 

6.38 

6.49 

6.60 

12 

6.12 

6.24 

6.36 

6.48 

6.60 

6.72 

6.84 

6.96 

7.08 

7.20 

13 

6.63 

6.76 

6.89 

7.02 

7.15 

7.28 

7.41 

7.54 

7.67 

7.80 

14 

7.14 

7.28 

7.42 

7.56 

7.70 

7.84 

7.98 

8.12 

8.26 

8.40 

15 

7.65 

7.80 

7.95 

8.10 

8.25 

8.40 

8.55 

8.70 

8.85 

9.00 

16 

8.16 

8.32 

8.48 

8.64 

8.80 

8.96 

9.12 

9.28 

9.44 

9.60 

17 

8.67 

8.84 

9.01 

9.18 

9.35 

9.52 

9.69 

9.86 

10.03 

10.20 

18 

9.18 

9.36 

9.54 

9.72 

9.90 

10.08 

10.26 

10.44 

10.62 

10.80 

19 

9.69 

9.88 

10.07 

10.26 

10.45 

10.64 

10.83 

11.02 

11.21 

11.40 

20 

10.20 

10.40 

10.60 

10.80 

11.00 

11.20 

11.40 

11.60 

11.80 

12.00 

21 

10.71 

10.92 

11.13 

11.34 

11.55 

11.76 

11.97 

12.18 

12.39 

12.60 

22 

11.22 

11.44 

11.66 

11.88 

12.10 

12.32 

12.54 

12.76 

12.98 

13.20 

23 

11.73 

11.96 

12.19 

12.42 

12.65 

12.88 

13.11 

13.34 

13.57 

13.80 

21 

12.24 

12.48 

12.72 

12.96 

13.20 

13.44 

13.68 

13.92 

14.16 

14.40 

25 

12.75 

13.00 

13.25 

13.50 

13.75 

14.00 

14.25 

14.50 

14.75 

15.00 

23 

13.26 

13.52 

13.78 

14.04 

14.30 

14.56 

14.82 

15.08 

15.34 

15.60 

27 

13.77 

14.04 

14.31 

14.58 

14.85 

15.12 

15.39 

15.66 

15.93 

16.20 

28 

14.28 

14.56 

14.84 

15.12 

15.40 

15.68 

15.96 

16.24 

16.52 

16.80 

23 

14.79 

15.08 

15.37 

15.66 

15.95 

16.24 

16.53 

16.82 

17.11 

17.40 

30 

15.30 

15.60 

15.90 

16.20 

16.50 

16.80 

17.10 

17.40 

17.70 

18.00 

31 

15.81 

16.12 

16.43 

16.74 

17.05 

17.36 

17.67 

17.98 

18.29 

18.60 

32 

16.32 

16.64 

16.96 

17.28 

17.60 

17.92 

18.24 

18.56 

J8.88 

19.20 

33 

16.83 

17.16 

17.49 

17.82 

18.15 

18.48 

18.81 

19.14 

^9.47 

19.80 

31 

17.34 

17.68 

18.02 

18.36 

18.70 

19.04 

19.38 

19.72 

20.06 

20.40 

35 

17.85 

18.20 

18.55 

18.90 

19.25 

19.60 

19.95 

20.30 

20.65 

21.CO 

33 

18.33 

18.72 

19.08 

19.44 

19.80 

20.16 

20.52 

20.88 

21.24 

21.60 

37 

18.87 

19.24 

19.61 

19.98 

20.35 

20.72 

21.09 

21.46 

21.83 

22.20 

38 

19.38 

19.76 

20.14 

20.52 

20.90 

21.28 

21.66 

22.04 

22.42 

22.80 

39 

19.89 

20.28 

20.67 

21.06 

21.45 

21.84 

22.23 

22.62 

23.01 

23.40 

40 

20.40 

20.80 

21.20 

21.60 

22.00 

22.40 

22.80 

23.20 

23.CO 

24.00 

41 

20.91 

21.32 

21.73 

22.14 

22.55 

22.96 

23.37 

23.78 

24.19 

24.60 

42 

21.42 

21.84 

22.26 

22.68 

23.10 

23.52 

23.94 

24.36 

24.78 

25.20 

43 

21.93 

22.36 

22.79 

23.22 

23.65 

24.08 

24.51 

24.94 

25.37 

25.80 

44 

22.44 

22.88 

23.32 

23.76 

24.20 

24.64 

25.08 

25.52 

25.96 

26.40 

45 

22.95 

23.40 

23.85 

24.30 

24.75 

25.20 

25.65 

26.10 

26.55 

27.00 

46 

23.46 

23.92 

24.38 

24.84 

25.30 

25.76 

26.22 

26.68 

27.14 

27.60 

47 

23.97 

24.44 

24.91 

25.38 

25.85 

26.32 

26.79 

27.26 

27.73 

28.20 

48 

24.48 

24.96 

25.44 

25.92 

26.40 

26.88 

27.36 

27.84 

28.32 

28.80 

49 

24.99 

25.48 

25.97 

26.46 

26.95 

27.44 

27.93 

28.42 

28.91 

29.40 

50 

25.50 

26.00 

26.50 

27.00 

27.50 

28.00 

28.50 

29.00 

29.50 

30.00 

51 

26.01 

26.52 

27.03 

27.54 

28.05 

28.56 

29.07 

29.58 

30.09 

30.60 

52 

26.52 

27.04 

27.56 

28.08 

28.60 

29.12 

29.64 

30.16 

30.68 

31.20 

53 

27.03 

27.56 

28.09 

28.62 

29.15 

29.68 

30.21 

30.74 

31.27 

31.80 

54 

27.54 

28.08 

28.62 

29.16 

29.70 

30.24 

30.78 

31.32 

31.86 

32.40 

55 

28.05 

28.60 

29.15 

29.70 

30.25 

30.80 

31.35 

31.90 

32.45 

33.00 

56 

28.56 

29.12 

29.68 

30.24 

30.80 

31.36 

31.92 

32.48 

33.04 

33.60 

57 

29.07 

29.64 

30.21 

30.78 

31.35 

31.92 

32.49 

33.06 

33.63 

34.20 

58 

29.58 

30.16 

30.74 

31.32 

31.90 

32.48 

33.06 

33.64 

34.22 

34.80 

59 

30.09 

30.68 

31.27 

31.86 

32.45 

33.04 

33.63 

34.22 

34.81 

35.40 

80 

30.60 

31.20 

31.80 

32.40 

33.00 

33.60 

34.20 

34.80 

35.40 

36.00 

WAGE   TABLES 


679 


TABLE  OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon  Rate  per  Hour,  from  61  cents  to  70  cents 


Rate 

01* 

62j< 

63^ 

64^ 

65^ 

66^ 

67^ 

68^ 

69^ 

70^ 

Hours 

Ain't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.61 

.62 

.63 

.64 

.65 

.66 

.67 

.68 

.69 

.70 

2 

1.22 

1.24 

1.26 

1.28 

1.30 

1.32 

1.34 

1.36 

1.38 

1.40 

3 

1.83 

1.86 

1.89 

1.92 

1.95 

1.98 

2.01 

2.04 

2.07 

2.10 

4 

2.44 

2.48 

2.52 

2.56 

2.60 

2.64 

2.68 

2.72 

2.76 

2.80 

5 

3.05 

3.10 

3.15 

3.20 

3.25 

3.30 

3.35 

3.40 

3.45 

3.50 

6 

3.66 

3.72 

3.78 

3.84 

3.90 

3.96 

4.02 

4.08 

4.14 

4.20 

7 

4.27 

4.34 

4.41 

4.48 

4.55 

4.62 

4.69 

4.76 

4.83 

4.90 

8 

4.88 

4.96 

5.04 

5.12 

5.20 

5.28 

5.36 

5.44 

5.52 

5.60 

9 

5.49 

5.58 

5.67 

5.76 

5.85 

5.94 

6.03 

6.12 

6.21 

6.30 

10 

6.10 

6.20 

6.30 

6.40 

6.50 

6.60 

6.70 

6.80 

6.90 

7.00 

11 

6.71 

6.82 

6.93 

7.04 

7.15 

7.26 

7.37 

7.48 

7.59 

7.70 

12 

7.32 

7.44 

7.56 

7.68 

7.80 

7.92 

8.04 

8.16 

8.28 

8.40 

13 

7.93 

8.06 

8.19 

8.32 

8.45 

8.58 

8.71 

8.84 

8.97 

9.10 

14 

8.54 

8.68 

8.82 

8.96 

9.10 

9.24 

9.38 

9.52 

9.66 

9.80 

15 

9.15 

9.30 

9.45 

9.60 

9.75 

9.90 

10.05 

10.20 

10.35 

10.50 

16 

9.76 

9.92 

10.08 

10.24 

10.40 

10.56 

10.72 

10.88 

11.04 

11.20 

17 

10.37 

10.54 

10.71 

10.88 

11.05 

11.22 

11.39 

11.56 

11.73 

11.90 

18 

10.98 

11.16 

11.34 

11.52 

11.70 

11.88 

12.06 

12.24 

12.42 

12.60 

19 

11.59 

11.78 

11.97 

12.16 

12.35 

12.54 

12.73 

12.92 

13.11 

13.30 

20 

12.20 

12.40 

12.60 

12.80 

13.00 

13.20 

13.40 

13.60 

13.80 

14.00 

21 

12.81 

13.02 

13.23 

13.44 

13.65 

13.86 

14.07 

14.28 

14.49 

14.70 

22 

13.42 

13.64 

13.86 

14.08 

14.30 

14.52 

14.74 

14.96 

15.18 

15.40 

23 

14.03 

14.26 

14.49 

14.72 

14.95 

15.18 

15.41 

15.64 

15.87 

16.10 

24 

14.64 

14.88 

15.12 

15.36 

15.60 

15.84 

16.08 

16.32 

16.56 

16.80 

25 

15.25 

15.50 

15.75 

16.00 

16.25 

16.50 

16.75 

17.00 

17.25 

17.50 

26 

15.86 

16.12 

16.38 

16.64 

16.90 

17.16 

17.42 

17.68 

17.94 

18.20 

27 

16.47 

16.74 

17.01 

17.28 

17.55 

17.82 

18.09 

18.36 

18.63 

18.SO 

28 

17.08 

17.36 

17.64 

17.92 

18.20 

18.48 

18.76 

19.04 

19.32 

19.60 

29 

17.69 

17.98 

18.27 

18.56 

18.85 

19.14 

19.43 

19.72 

20.01 

20.30 

30 

18.30 

18.60 

18.90 

19.20 

19.50 

19.80 

20.10 

20.40 

20.70 

21.00 

31 

18.91 

19.22 

19.53 

19.84 

20.15 

20.46 

20.77 

21.08 

21.39 

21.70 

32 

19.52 

19.84 

20.16 

20.48 

20.80 

21.12 

21.44 

21.76 

22.08 

22.40 

33 

20.13 

20.46 

20.79 

21.12 

21.45 

21.78 

22.11 

22.44 

22.77 

23.10 

31 

20.74 

21.08 

21.42 

21.76 

22.10 

22.44 

22.78 

23.12 

23.46 

23.80 

35 

21.35 

21.70 

22.05 

22.40 

22.75 

23.10 

23.45 

23.80 

24.15 

24.50 

35 

21.96 

22.32 

22.68 

23.04 

23.40 

23.76 

24.12 

24.48 

24.84 

25.20 

37 

22.57 

22.94 

23.31 

23.68 

24.05 

24.42 

24.79 

25.16 

25.53 

25.90 

38 

23.18 

23.56 

23.94 

24.32 

24.70 

25.08 

25.46 

25.84 

26.22 

26.60 

39 

23.79 

24.18 

24.57 

24.96 

25.35 

25.74 

26.13 

16.52 

26.91 

27.30 

40 

24.40 

24.80 

25.20 

25.60 

26.00 

26.40 

26.80 

27.20 

27.60 

28.00 

41 

25.01 

25.42 

25.83 

26.24 

26.65 

27.06 

27.47 

27.88 

28.29 

28.70 

42 

25.62 

26.04 

26.46 

26.88 

27.30 

27.72 

28.14 

28.56 

28.98 

29.40 

43 

26.23 

26.66 

27.09 

27.52 

27.95 

28.38 

28.81 

29.24 

29.67 

30.10 

44 

26.84 

27.28 

27.72 

28.16 

28.60 

29.04 

29.48 

29.92 

30.36 

30.80 

45 

27.45 

27.90 

28.35 

28.80 

29.25 

29.70 

30.15 

30.60 

31.05 

31.50 

46 

28.06 

28.52 

28.98 

29.44 

29.90 

30.36 

30.82 

31.28 

31.74 

32.20 

47 

28.67 

29.14 

29.61 

30.08 

30.55 

31.02 

31.49 

31.96 

32.43 

32.90 

48 

29.28 

29.76 

30.24 

30.72 

31.20 

31.68 

32.16 

32.64 

33.12 

33.60 

49 

29.89 

30.38 

30.87 

31.36 

31.85 

32.34 

32.83 

33.32 

33.81 

34.30 

50 

30.50 

31.00 

31.50 

32.00 

32.50 

33.00 

33.50 

34.00 

34.50 

35.00 

51 

31.11 

31.62 

32.13 

32.64 

33.15 

33.66 

34.17 

34.68 

35.19 

35.70 

52 

31.72 

32.24 

32.76 

33.28 

33.80 

34.32 

34.84 

35.36 

35.88 

36.40 

53 

32.23 

32.86 

33.39 

33.92 

34.45 

34.98 

35.51 

36.04 

36.57 

37.10 

54 

32.94 

33.48 

34.02 

34.56 

35.10 

35.64 

36.18 

36.72 

37.26 

37.80 

55 

33.55 

34.10 

34.65 

35.20 

35.75 

36.30 

36.85 

37.40 

37.95 

38.50 

56 

34.16 

34.72 

35.28 

35.84 

36.40 

36.96 

37.52 

38.08 

38.64 

39.20 

57 

34.77 

35.34 

35.91 

36.48 

37.05 

37.62 

38.19 

38.76 

39.33 

39.90 

58 

35.38 

35.96 

36.54 

37.12 

37.70 

38.28 

38.86* 

39.44 

40.02 

40.60 

59 

35.99 

36.58 

37.17 

37.76 

38.35 

38.94 

39.53 

40.12 

40.71 

41.30 

60 

36.60 

37.20 

37.80 

38.40 

39.00 

39.60 

40.20 

40.80 

41.40 

42.00 

680 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


TABLE  OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon  Rate  per  Hour,  from  71  cents  to  80  cents 


Rate 

71* 

72£ 

73^ 

74j5 

75^ 

76* 

77^ 

78i 

79i 

80f< 

Hours 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.71 

.72 

.73 

.74 

.75 

.76 

.77 

.78 

.79 

.80 

2 

1.42 

1.44 

1.46 

1.48 

1.50 

1.52 

1.54 

1.56 

1.58 

1.60 

3 

2.13 

2.16 

2.19 

2.22 

2.25 

2.28 

2.31 

2.34 

2.37 

2.40 

4 

2.84 

2.88 

2.92 

2.96 

3.00 

3.04 

3.08 

3.12 

3.16 

3.20 

5 

3.55 

3.60 

3.65 

3.70 

3.75 

3.80 

3.85 

3.90 

3.95 

4.00 

6 

4.26 

4.32 

4.38 

4.44 

4.50 

4.56 

4.62 

4.68 

4.74 

4.80 

7 

4.97 

5.04 

5.11 

5.18 

5.25 

5.32 

5.39 

5.46 

5.53 

5.60 

8 

5.68 

5.76 

5.84 

5.92 

6.00 

6.08 

6.16 

6.24 

6.32 

6.40 

9 

6.39 

6.48 

6.57 

6.66 

6.75 

6.84 

6.93 

7.02 

7.11 

7.20 

10 

7.10 

7.20 

7.30 

7.40 

7.50 

7.60 

7.70 

7.80 

7.90 

8.00 

11 

7.81 

7.92 

8.03 

8.14 

8.25 

8.36 

8.47 

8.58 

8.69 

8.80 

12 

8.52 

8.64 

8.76 

8.88 

9.00 

9.12 

9.24 

9.36 

9.48 

9.60 

13 

9.23 

9.36 

9.49 

9.62 

9.75 

9.88 

10.01 

10.14 

10.27 

10.40 

14 

9.94 

10.08 

10.22 

10.36 

10.50 

10.64 

10.78 

10.92 

11.06 

11.20 

15 

10.65 

10.80 

10.95 

11.10 

11.25 

11.40 

11.55 

11.70 

11.85 

12.00 

16 

11.36 

11.52 

11.68 

11.84 

12.00 

12.16 

12.32 

12.48 

12.64 

12.80 

17 

12.07 

12.24 

12.41 

12.58 

12.75 

12.92 

13.09 

13.26 

13.43 

13.60 

18 

12.78 

12.96 

13.14 

13.32 

13.50 

13.68 

13.86 

14.04 

14.22 

14.40 

19 

13.49 

13.68 

13.87 

14.06 

14.25 

14.44 

14.63 

14.82 

15.01 

15.20 

20 

14.20 

14.40 

14.60 

14.80 

15.00 

15.20 

15.40 

15.60 

15.80 

16.00 

21 

14.91 

15.12 

15.33 

15.54 

15.75 

15.96 

16.17 

16.38 

16.59 

16.80 

22 

15.62 

15.84 

16.06 

16.28 

16.50 

16.72 

16.94 

17.16 

17.38 

17.60 

23 

16.33 

16.56 

16.79 

17.02 

17.25 

17.48 

17.71 

17.94 

18.17 

18.40 

24 

17.04 

17.28 

17.52 

17.76 

18.00 

18.24 

18.48 

18.72 

18.96 

19.20 

25 

17.75 

18.00 

18.25 

18.50 

18.75 

19.00 

19.25 

19.50 

19.75 

20.00 

26 

18.46 

18.72 

18.98 

19.24 

19.50 

19.76 

20.02 

20.28 

20.54 

20.80 

27 

19.17 

19.44 

19.71 

19.98 

20.25 

20.*2 

20.79 

21.06 

21.33 

21.60 

28 

19.88 

20.16 

20.44 

20.72 

21.00 

21.28 

21.56 

21.84 

22.12 

22.40 

29 

20.59 

20.88 

21.17 

21.46 

21.75 

22.04 

22.33 

22.62 

22.91 

23.20 

30 

21.30 

21.60 

21.90 

22.20 

22.50 

22.80 

23.10 

23.40 

23.70 

24.00 

31 

22.01 

22.32 

22.63 

22.94 

23.25 

23.56 

23.87 

24.18 

24.49 

24.80 

32 

22.72 

23.04 

23.36 

23.68 

24.00 

24.32 

24.64 

24.96 

25.28 

25.60 

33 

23.43 

23.76 

24.09 

24.42 

24.75 

25.08 

25.41 

25.74 

26.07 

26.40 

34 

24.14 

24.48 

24.82 

25.16 

25.50 

25.84 

26.18 

26.52 

26.86 

27.20 

35 

24.85 

25.20 

25.55 

25.90 

26.25 

26.60 

26.95 

27.30 

27.65 

28.00 

36 

25.56 

25.92 

26.28 

26.64 

27.00 

27.36 

27.72 

28.08 

28.44 

28.80 

37 

26.27 

26.64 

27.01 

27.38 

27.75 

28.12 

28.49 

28.86 

29.23 

29.60 

38 

26.98 

27.36 

27.74 

28.12 

28.50 

28.88 

29.26 

29.64 

30.02 

30.40 

39 

27.69 

28.08 

28.47 

28.86 

29.25 

29.64 

30.03 

30.42 

30.81 

31.20 

40 

28.40 

28.80 

29.20 

29.60 

30.00 

30.40 

30.80 

31.20 

31.60 

32.CO 

41 

29.11 

29.52 

29.93 

30.34 

30.75 

31.16 

31.57 

31.98 

32.39 

32.80 

42 

29.82 

30.24 

30.66 

31.08 

31.50 

31.92 

32.34 

32.76 

33.18 

33.60 

43 

30.53 

30.96 

31.39 

31.82 

32.25 

32.68 

33.11 

33.54 

33.97 

34.40 

44 

31.24 

31.68 

32.12 

32.56 

33.00 

33.44 

33.88 

34.32 

34.76 

35.20 

45 

31.95 

32.40 

32.85 

33.30 

33.75 

34.20 

34.65 

35.10 

35.55 

36.CO 

46 

32.66 

33.12 

33.58 

34.04 

34.50 

34.96 

35.42 

35.88 

36.34 

36.80 

47 

33.37 

33.84 

34.31 

34.78 

35.25 

35.72 

36.19 

36.66 

37.13 

37.60 

48 

34.08 

34.56 

35.04 

35.52 

36.00 

36.48 

36.96 

37.44 

37.92 

38.40 

49 

34.79 

35.28 

35.77 

36.26 

36.75 

37.24 

37.73 

38.22 

38.71 

39.20 

50 

35.50 

36.00 

36.50 

37.00 

37.50 

38.00 

38.50 

39.00 

39.50 

40.00 

51 

36.21 

36.72 

37.23 

37.74 

38.25 

38.76 

39.27 

39.78 

40.29 

40.80 

52 

36.92 

37.44 

37.96 

38.48 

39.00 

39.52 

40.04 

40.56 

41.08 

41.60 

53 

37.63 

38.16 

38.69 

39.22 

39.75 

40.28 

40.81 

41.34 

41.87 

42.40 

54 

38.34 

38.88 

39.42 

39.96 

40.50 

41.04 

41.58 

42.12 

42.66 

43.20 

55 

39.05 

39.60 

40.15 

40.70 

41.25 

41.80 

42.35 

42.90 

43.45 

44.00 

56 

39.76 

40.32 

40.88 

41.44 

42.00 

42.56 

43.12 

43.68 

44.24 

44.80 

57 

40.47 

41.04 

41.61 

42.18 

42.75 

43.32 

43.89 

44.46 

45.03 

45.60 

58 

41.18 

41.76 

42.34 

42.92 

43.50 

44.08 

44.66 

45.24 

45.82 

46.40 

59 

41.89 

42.48 

43.07 

43.66 

44.25 

44.84 

45.43 

46.02 

46.61 

47.20 

60 

42.60 

43.20 

43.80 

44.40 

45.00 

45.60 

46.20 

46.80 

47.40 

48.00 

WAGE   TABLES 


681 


TABLE  OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon  Rate  per  Hour,  from  81  cents  to  90  cents 


Rate 

81* 

824 

§34 

8*4 

854 

864 

87  1 

884 

894 

904 

Hours 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

Am't 

1 

.81 

.82 

.83 

.84 

.85 

.86 

.87 

.88 

.89 

.90 

2 

1.62 

1.64 

1.66 

1.68 

1.70 

1.72 

1.74 

1.76 

1.78 

1.80 

3 

2.43 

2.46 

2.49 

2.52 

2.55 

2.58 

2.61 

2.64 

2.67 

2.70 

4 

3.24 

3.28 

3.32 

3.36 

3.40 

3.44 

3.48 

3.52 

3.56 

3.60 

5 

4.05 

4.10 

4.15 

4.20 

4.25 

4.30 

4.35 

4.40 

4.45 

4.50 

6 

4.86 

4.92 

4.98 

5.04 

5.10 

5.16 

5.22 

5.28 

5.34 

5.40 

7 

5.67 

5.74 

5.81 

5.88 

5.95 

6.02 

6.09 

6.16 

6.23 

6.30 

g 

6.48 

6.56 

6.64 

6.72 

6.80 

6.88 

6.96 

7.04 

7.12 

7.20 

g 

7.29 

7.38 

7.47 

7.56 

7.65 

7.74 

7.83 

7.92 

8.01 

8.10 

10 

8.10 

8.20 

8.30 

8.40 

8.50 

8.60 

8.70 

8.80 

8.90 

9.CO 

11 

8.91 

9.02 

9.13 

9.24 

9.35 

9.46 

9.57 

9.68 

9.79 

9.80 

12 

9.72 

9.84 

9.96 

10.08 

10.20 

10.32 

10.44 

10.56 

10.68 

10.80 

13 

10.53 

10.66 

10.79 

10.92 

11.05 

11.18 

11.31 

11.44 

11.57 

11.70 

14 

11.34 

11.48 

11.62 

11.76 

11.90 

12.04 

12.18 

12.32 

12.46 

12.60 

15 

12.15 

12.30 

12.45 

12.60 

12.75 

12.90 

13.05 

13.20 

13.35 

13.50 

16 

12.96 

13.12 

13.28 

13.44 

13.60 

13.76 

13.92 

14.08 

14.24 

14.40 

17 

13.77 

13.94 

14.11 

14.28 

14.45 

14.62 

14.79 

14.96 

15.13 

15.30 

18 

14.58 

14.76 

14.94 

15.12 

15.30 

15.48 

15.66 

15.84 

16.02 

16.20 

19 

15.39 

15.58 

15.77 

15.96 

16.15 

16.34 

16.53 

16.72 

16.91 

17.10 

20 

16.20 

16.40 

16.60 

16.80 

17.00 

17.20 

17.40 

17.60 

17.80 

18.00 

21 

17.01 

17.22 

17.43 

17.64 

17.85 

18.06 

18.27 

18.48 

18.69 

18.90 

22 

17.82 

18.04 

18.26 

18.48 

18.70 

18.92 

19.14 

19.36 

19.58 

19.80 

23 

18.63 

18.86 

19.09 

19.32 

19.55 

19.78 

20.01 

20.24 

20.47 

20.70 

24 

19.44 

19.68 

19.92 

20.16 

20.40 

20.64 

20.88 

21.12 

21.36 

21.60 

26 

20.25 

20.50 

20.75 

21.00 

21.25 

21.50 

21.75 

22.00 

22.25 

22.50 

26 

21.06 

21.32 

21.58 

21.84 

22.10 

22.36 

22.62 

22.88 

23.14 

23.40 

27 

21.87 

22.14 

22.41 

22.68 

22.95 

23.22 

23.49 

23.76 

24.03 

24.30 

28 

22.68 

22.96 

23.24 

23.52 

23.80 

24.08 

24.36 

24.64 

24.92 

25.20 

29 

23.49 

23.78 

24.07 

24.36 

24.65 

24.94 

25.23 

25.52 

25.81 

26.10 

30 

24.30 

24.60 

24.90 

25.20 

25.50 

25.80 

26.10 

26.40 

26.70 

27.00 

31 

25.11 

25.42 

25.73 

26.04 

26.35 

26.66 

26.97 

27.28 

27.59 

27.90 

32 

25.92 

26.24 

26.56 

26.88 

27.20 

27.52 

27.84 

28.16 

28.48 

28.80 

33 

26.73 

27.06 

27.39 

27.72 

28.05 

28.38 

28.71 

29.04 

29.37 

29.70 

34 

27.54 

27.88 

28.22 

28.56 

28.90 

29.24 

29.58 

29.92 

30.26 

30.60 

35 

28.35 

28.70 

29.05 

29.40 

29.75 

30.10 

30.45 

30.80 

31.15 

31.50 

36 

29.16 

29.52 

29.88 

30.24 

30.60 

30.96 

31.32 

31.68 

32.04 

32.40 

37 

29.97 

30.34 

30.71 

31.08 

31.45 

31.82 

32.19 

32.56 

32.93 

33.30 

38 

30.78 

31.16 

31.54 

31.92 

32.30 

32.68 

33.06 

33.44 

33.82 

34.20 

39 

31.59 

31.98 

32.37 

32.76 

33.15 

33.54 

33.93 

34.32 

34.71 

35.10 

40 

32.40 

32.80 

33.20 

33.60 

34.00 

34.40 

34.80 

35.20 

35.60 

36.00 

41 

33.21 

33.62 

34.03 

34.44 

34.85 

35.26 

35.67 

36.08 

36.49 

36.SO 

42 

34.02 

34.44 

34.86 

35.28 

35.70 

36.12 

36.54 

36.96 

37.38 

37.80 

43 

34.83 

35.26 

35.69 

36.12 

36.55 

36.98 

37.41 

37.84 

38.27 

38.70 

44 

35.64 

36.08 

36.52 

36.96 

37.40 

37.84 

38.28 

38.72 

39.16 

39.60 

45 

36.45 

36.90 

37.35 

37.80 

38.25 

38.70 

39.15 

39.60 

40.05 

40.50 

46 

37.26 

37.72 

38.18 

38.64 

39.10 

39.56 

40.02 

40.48 

40.94 

41.40 

47 

38.07 

38.54 

39.01 

39.48 

39.95 

40.42 

40.89 

41.36 

41.83 

42.30 

48 

38.88 

39.36 

39.84 

40.32 

40.80 

41.28 

41.76 

42.24 

42.72 

43.20 

49 

39.69 

40.18 

40.67 

41.16 

41.65 

42.14 

42.63 

43.12 

43.61 

44.10 

50 

40.50 

41.00 

41.50 

42.00 

42.50 

43.00 

43.50 

44.00 

44.50 

45.00 

51 

41.31 

41.82 

42.33 

42.84 

43.35 

43.86 

44.37 

44.88 

45.39 

45.90 

52 

42.12 

42.64 

43.16 

43.68 

44.20 

44.72 

45.24 

45.76 

46.28 

46.80 

53 

42.93 

43.46 

43.99 

44.52 

45.05 

45.58 

46.11 

46.64 

47.17 

47.70 

54 

43.74 

44.28 

44.82 

45.36 

45.90 

46.44 

46.98 

47.52 

48.06 

48.60 

55 

44.55 

45.10 

45.65 

46.20 

46.75 

47.30 

47.85 

48.40 

48.95 

49.50 

56 

45.36 

45.92 

46.48 

47.04 

47.60 

48.16 

48.72 

49.28 

49.84 

50.40 

57 

46.17 

46.74 

47.31 

47.88 

48.45 

49.02 

49.59 

50.16 

50.73 

51.30 

58 

46.98 

47.56 

48.14 

48.72 

49.30 

49.88 

50.46 

51.04 

51.62 

52.20 

59 

47.79 

48.38 

48.97 

49.56 

50.15 

50.74 

51.33 

51.92 

52.51 

53.10 

60 

48.60 

49.20 

49.80 

50.40 

51.00 

51.60 

52.20 

52.80 

53.40 

54.00 

682 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


WEEKLY  TABLE  OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon  Rate  per  Week,  from  $2.50  to  $12.00 


BATE 

2.50 

3.00 

3.50 

4.00 

4.50 

5.00 

6.00 

7.00 

7.50 

8.00 

9.00 

10.50 

12.00 

days 

.42 

.50 

.58 

.67 

.75 

.83 

1.00 

1.17 

1.25 

1.33 

1.50 

1.75 

2.00 

2 

.83 

1.00 

1.17 

1.33 

1.50 

1.67 

2.00 

2.33 

2.50 

2.67 

3.00 

3.50 

4.00 

3 

1.25 

1.50 

1.75 

2.00 

2.25 

2.50 

3.00 

3.50 

3.75 

4.00 

4.50 

5.25 

6.00 

4 

1.67 

2.00 

2.33 

2.67 

3.00 

3.33 

4.00 

4.67 

5.00 

5.33 

6.00 

7.00 

8.00 

5 

2.08 

2.50 

2.92 

3.33 

3.75 

4.17 

5.00 

5.83 

6.25 

6.67 

7.50 

8.75 

10.00 

6 

2.50 

3.00 

3.50 

4.00 

4.50 

5.00 

6.00 

7.00 

7.50 

8.00 

9.00 

10.50,12.00 

7 

2.92 

3.50 

4.08 

4.67 

5.25 

5.83 

7.00 

8.17 

8.75!  9.33  10.50 

12.25 

14.00 

8 

3.33 

4.00 

4.67 

5.33 

6.00 

6.67 

8.00 

9.33 

10.00 

10.67 

12.00 

14.00 

16.00 

9 

3.75 

4.50 

5.25 

6.00 

6.75 

7.50 

9.00 

10.50 

11.25 

12.00 

13.50 

15.75 

18.00 

10 

4.17 

5.00 

5.83 

6.67 

7.50 

8.33 

10.00 

11.67 

12.50 

13.33 

15.00 

17.50 

20.00 

11 

4.58 

5.50 

6.42 

7.33 

8.25 

9.17 

11.00 

12.83 

13.75 

14.67 

16.50 

19.25 

22.00 

12 

5.00 

6.00 

7.00 

8.00 

9.00 

10.00  12.00 

14.00 

15.00 

16.00 

18.00 

21.00  24.00 

13 

5.42 

6.50 

7.58 

8.67 

9.75  10.83,13.00 

15.17 

16.25 

17.33 

19.50 

22.75 

26.00 

14 

5.83 

7.00 

8.17 

9.33 

10.50  11.67 

14.00 

16.33 

17.50 

18.67 

21.00 

24.50 

28.00 

15 

6.25 

7.50 

8.75 

10.00 

11.25 

12.50 

15.00 

17.50 

18.75 

20.00 

22.50 

26.25 

30.00 

16 

6.67 

8.00 

9.33 

10.67 

12.00 

13.33 

16.00 

18.67 

20.00 

21.33 

24.00 

28.00 

32.00 

17 

7.08 

8.50 

9.92 

11.33 

12.75 

14.17 

17.00 

19.83 

21.25  22.67 

25.50 

29.75 

34.  CO 

18 

7.50 

9.00 

10.50 

12.00 

13.50 

15.00 

18.00 

21.00 

22.5024.00 

27.00 

31.50  36.00 

19 

7.92 

9.50  11.08 

12.67 

14.25 

15.83|19.00 

22.17 

23.75 

25.33 

28.50,33.25 

38.CO 

20 

8.33 

10.00 

11.67 

13.33 

15.00 

16.67 

20.00 

23.33 

25.00 

26.67 

30.00 

35.00 

40.CO 

21 

8.75 

10.50 

12.25 

14.00 

15.75 

17.50 

21.00 

24.50 

26.25 

28.00 

31.50 

36.75 

42.  CO 

22 
23 

9.17 
9.58 

11.00 
11.50 

12.83 
13.42 

14.67 
15.33 

16.50 
17.25 

18.33 
19.17 

22.00 
23.00 

25.67 
26.83 

27.50 

28.75 

29.33  33.00 
30.6734.50 

38.50 
40.25 

44.CO 
46.00 

24 

10.00 

12.00 

14.00 

16.00 

18.00 

20.00 

24.00 

28.00 

30.00 

32.00  '36.00 

42.00 

48.00 

25 

10.42 

12.50 

14.58 

16.67 

18.75 

20.83 

25.00 

29.17 

31.25 

33.33  37.50 

43.75 

50.00 

26 

10.83 

13.00 

15.17 

17.33 

19.50 

21.67 

26.00 

30.33 

32.50 

34.67 

39.00 

45.50 

52.00 

27 

11.25 

13.50 

15.75 

18.00 

20.25 

22.50 

27.00 

31.50 

33.75 

36.00 

40.50 

47.25 

54.CO 

28 

11.67 

14.00 

16.33 

18.67 

21.00 

23.33 

28.00 

32.67 

35.00 

37.33 

42.00 

49.00 

56.  CO 

29 

12.08 

14.50 

16.92 

19.32 

21.75 

24.17 

29.00 

33.83 

36.25 

38.67 

43.50 

50.75  58.CO 

30 

12.50 

15.00 

17.50 

20.00 

22.50 

25.00 

30.00 

35.00 

37.50 

40.00 

45.00 

52.50  CO.CO 

|12.92|l5.50|18.08|20.67|23.25|25.83|31.00|36.17|38.75|41.33|46.50|54.25|62.00 
Rate  per  day  when  7  working  days  constitute  the  week 


.36 

•43 

•SO 

•59 

.64 

•71 

.86 

1.  00 

1.07 

1.14 

1.29 

1.50 

1.71 

This  Table  is  calculated  upon  six  working  days  to  the  week,  and  is  applicable 
to  either  eight,  nine,  or  ten-hour  days.  The  rate  per  day,  where  SEVEN  working 
days  constitute  a  week,  is  given  in  heavy  type  in  the  bottom  line  of  table.  When 
fractional  parts  of  a  day  are  to  be  reckoned  the  other  tables  in  this  book  may  be  used 
-to  advantage  in  connection  with  the  above. 


WAGE    TABLES 


683 


WEEKLY  TABLE  OF  WAGES 
Calculated  upon  Rate  per  Week  from  $13.50  to  $33.00 


HATE 

13.50 

15.00 

16.50 

18.00 

19.50 

21.00 

22.50 

24.00 

27.00 

30.00 

33.00 

days 
1 

2.25 

2.50 

2.75 

3.00 

3.25 

3.50 

3.75 

4.00 

4.50 

5.00 

5.50 

2 

4.50 

5.00 

5.50 

6.00 

6.50 

7.00 

7.50 

8.00 

9.00 

10.00 

11.00 

3 

6.75 

7.50 

8.25 

9.00 

9.75 

10.50 

11.25 

12.00 

13.50 

15.00 

16.50 

4 

9.00 

10.00 

11.00 

12.00 

13.00 

14.00 

15.00 

16.00 

18.00 

20.00 

22.00 

5 

11.25 

12.50 

13.75 

15.00 

16.25 

17.50 

18.75 

20.00 

22.50 

25.00 

27.50 

6 

13.50 

15.00 

16.50 

18.00 

19.50    21.00 

22.50 

24.00 

27.00 

30.00    33.00 

7 

15.75 

17.50 

18.75 

21.00 

22.75 

24.50 

26.25 

28.00 

31.50 

35.00 

38.50 

8 

18.00 

20.00 

22.00 

24.00 

26.00 

28.00 

30.00 

32.00 

36.00 

40.00 

44.00 

9 

20.25 

22.50 

24.75 

27.00 

29.25 

31.50 

33.75 

36.00 

40.50 

45.00 

49.50 

10 

22.50 

25.00 

27.50 

30.00 

32.50 

35.00 

37.50 

40.00 

45.00 

50.00 

55.00 

11 

24.75 

27.50 

30.25 

33.00 

35.75 

38.50 

41.25 

44.00 

49.50 

55.00 

60.50 

12 

27.00  30.00 

33.00 

36.00 

39.00 

42.00 

45.00 

48.00 

54.00 

60.00 

66.00 

13 

29.2532.50 

35.7539.00 

42.25 

45.50 

48.75 

52.00 

58.50 

65.00 

71.50 

14 

31.50 

35.00 

38.50 

42.00 

45.50 

49.00 

52.50 

56.00 

63.00 

70.00 

77.00 

15 

33.75 

37.50 

41.25 

45.00 

48.75 

52.50 

56.25 

60.00 

67.50 

75.00 

82.50 

16 

36.00 

40.00 

44.00  48.00 

52.00 

56.00 

60.00 

64.00 

72.00 

80.00 

88.00 

17 

38.25 

42.50 

46.75  51.00 

55.25 

59.50 

63.75 

68.00 

76.50 

85.00 

93.50 

18 

40.50 

45.00 

19.50  54.00 

58.50!  63.00 

67.50 

72.0C 

81.00 

90.00 

99.00 

19 

42.75 

47.50 

52.25 

57.00 

61.75 

66.50 

71.25 

76.00 

85.50 

95.00 

104.50 

20 

45.00 

50.00 

55.00 

60.00 

65.00 

70.00 

75.00 

80.00 

90.00 

100.00 

110.00 

21 

47.25 

52.50 

57.75 

63.00 

68.25 

73.50 

78.75 

84.00 

94.50 

105.00 

115.50 

22 

49.50 

55.00 

60.50 

66.00 

71.50 

77.00 

82.50 

88.00 

99.00 

110.00 

121.00 

23 

51.75 

57.50 

63.25 

69.00 

74.75 

80.50 

86.25 

92.00 

103.50 

115.00  126.50 

24 

54.00 

60.00 

66.00 

72.00 

78.00 

84.00 

eo.oo 

96.00 

108.00 

120.00  132.00 

25 

56.25 

62.50 

68.75  75.00 

81.25 

87.50 

93.75 

100.00 

112.50 

125.00 

137.50 

26 

58.50 

65.00 

71.50 

78.00 

84.50 

91.00 

97.50 

104.00 

117.00 

130.00 

143.00 

27 

60.75 

67.50 

74.25 

81.00 

87.75 

94.50 

101.25 

108.00 

121.50 

135.00 

148.50 

28 

63.00 

70.00 

77.00  84.00 

91.00 

98.00 

105.00 

112.00 

126.00 

140.00 

154.00 

29 

65.25 

72.50 

79.75  87.00 

94.25 

101.50 

108.75 

116.00 

130.50 

145.09 

159.50 

30 

67.50 

75.00 

82.5090.00 

97.50  105.00 

112.50 

120.00 

135.00 

150.00 

165.00 

31         |69.75|77.50|85.25)93.00 

100.75|  108.50|  116.25 

124.00|  139.60|  155.00|  170.50 

Rate  per  day  when  7  working  days  constitute  the  week 


1-93 

2.14 

2.36 

2.57 

2.79 

3-00 

3-21 

3-43 

3-86 

4.29      4.7: 

This  Table  is  calculated  upon  six  working  days  to  the  week,  and  is  applicable 
to  either  eight,  nine,  or  ten-hour  days.  The  rate  per  day,  where  SEVEN  working 
days  constitute  a  week,  is  given  in  heavy  type  in  the  bottom  line  of  table.  When 
fractional  parts  of  a  day  are  to  be  reckoned  the  other  tables  in  this  book  may  be  used 
to  advantage  in  connection  with  the  above. 


684  THE     NEW 

8  ?S88?88SSSS 


BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 

COt^COOt^COOl^COO 

cocorooocoococoo 


1-1  rH  N  CO  CO  •*  TJH  >0  CO 


8IS38S8S8S8S8 

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lO    |-*tiOO>OCOOOOiOCOOOOiO 
t^    IC^^Ci^OiCOGOCOCOC^t^ 


10    IrHCOiOOOOCOiOOOOCOiO 

CN       IN  Tfl  00  (N  t-  rH  lO  OS  "*  00  CN 


§ 


^H  iH  <N  (N  (N  CO  CO 


CO     I  rH  rH  rH  (N  (N  CO  CO  CO 


<M  N  IN  co  co 


!|Sg8i§§§2^8 


»H  rH  i-l  rH  C<1  (N  <N 


SICOiOOiOOiOOiOOiOO 
rH  M  lO  t>  O  <N  lO  t>  O  W  »O 
(N     I  *      '  rH  rH  rH  rH  (N  IN  (N 


812? 

IN    I 


lO    |O5  GO  i 

5|q-. 


COOOOIOCOOGOIO 
iOt^OOO<N-*iOf~ 


O     00  »OO>O  O  »O  O  »O  OiO  O 

»o    OrHco-^ot^osqiNcoio 


>0      COCOiOOOOCO»OOOOCO»0 

c<i    o  rH  (M  co  >o  co  t^  oo  o  rH  ca 


SiiOOOOOOOOOOO 
qrHc^coTjjiocot^oociq 


SCO  »O  O  ^O  < 
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C5 


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OOOOrHrHrHr-<(N( 


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«-!  i-l  (N  <N  CO  CO  • 


rH  rH  IN  <N  (N  CO  CO 


rH  rH  rH  C^l  (M  CO  CO 


I>COt^OC01>OC01^O 

rHfocoqcocoqcotoq 


rHrHrH<N(N(N 


rH  rH  rH  rH  (N  CV| 


CO'OO'Op'OO'OOiO 
rHiMiOt^OlNiOt^OOl 


OrHCOlOCOOOOrHfoS 


§t»coot>coot^co< 
_  O  rH  IN  C^_  CO  TJH  r(H  10  « 


ScOrHr^iNoocooiTtio 
OrHrHININCOCOTfiq 


qqqOrHrHrHrH( 


X 

n 

a 


00  10  O  iO  O  iO  O  »O  O 

cot^ioc^qt^-^ooic 

'  rH  IN  CO  CO  TjH  10  CC 


'  rH  rH  IN  CO  CO  r)<  I 


05  05  O5  OS  00  1>  t^  CO  10 
(NlOrHJ>COO5lOrHr^ 

'  rH  rH  (N  IN  CO  T)H 


00  CO  CO  03  »0  rH  00  «t  C 

<NiOrHCO<NGOCOC3iO 

'  rH  rH  IN  <N  CO  CO  -t 


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<-5  rH  (N  CN  CO  CO  •* 


>-l  rH  (M  IN  CO  CO 


COt^^ 
<N  rtn  05 


rH  rH  (N  W  CO  CO 


OrHrHCNCOCOTtlTf<lO 

CN  •*  CO  CN  CO  O  •*  00  CS 

'  rH  rH  IN  CN  IN  CO 

05  00  lO  CO  O  00  lO  CO  O 
'•HCOt>-rHiqco<NcDq 


rH  rH(M(MCO 


rH  rH  T-I  <N  <M  IM 


rH  rHrHrHfN 


CO>OOiOO»OO»OO 

rH  C^  10  t>  O  M  »0  t^  O 


OOCOrHt^COOO^OlO 
O  rH  CO  Tj<  CD  l>  05  O  <M 


;ss??ss{2: 


•^COiOCOOOO'OCOO 
OqrHfNCOCOrjHiOCO 


CHAPTER   XLVII. 

ORNAMENTAL  IRON   WORK 

A  description  is  of  no  use  in  estimating  this  class  of 
work.  The  eye  has  to  be  appealed  to,  and  so  the  illustra- 
tions are  given.  If  an  APPROXIMATE  idea  is  placed  be- 
fore a  valuator  he  can  arrive  at  a  fair  estimate  of  even  work 
that  varies  considerably  in  design  from  the  cut  presented. 
A  square  or  lineal  foot  price  is  thus  of  great  value  in  mak- 
ing up  preliminary  estimates  or  valuations. 


BARNESVILLE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

ERECTED   A.D.  1909 

JTH£;GIFT  OF 
ANREW  CARNEGIE 


CITY    COUNCIL 
T.  W.  COCHRAN,  MAYOR 
F.  M.MURPHEY  M.W.  SMITH 

L.S.  FIFIELD  W.C.JORDAN 

A.  H.  ENGLISH  R.A.STAFFORD 

WHITFIELD  AND  KING    ARCHITECTS 


"Barnesville"  Tablet,  size  2   6"x1'  10" 

$20.00  per  sq.  ft. 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Cast  Bronze  Electric  Light  Standard 
Size  8'  10"  high  over  all 

Including   Globe    $250.00  each 

In   Cast   Iron    150.00  each 

"Title"  Tablet,  size  1'  6"  x  2'  4" 
$24.00  per  sq.  ft. 


The  prices  given  cover  only  the  sizes  of  work  as  stated. 
Each  piece  of  work  is  specially  designed  and  the  right  prices 
for  larger  or  smaller  construction  cannot,  therefore,  be  reck- 
oned pro  ratio  from  the  sizes  given. 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK  687 


"Nassau  County  Court  House,"  size  4'  6"  x  3'  6" 
$50.00  per  sq.  ft. 


688 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


'Masonic"  Tablet,  size  2'  5!/2"x6'  2" 

$i5.r o  rer  sq. ft- 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK 


689 


In   ordinary   black  finish   $2.50   per  sq.  ft. 


690 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


^Freeholder"  Tablet,  size  2'  1"  x  3'  8" 
$25.00  per  sq.  ft. 


Iron  Grille  Doors, 
size  6'  0"x10'  0" 
$20.00  per  sq.  ft. 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK 


C91 


THE  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

TOWN  OF  MILTON 
I87O—  J9Q4 

JOHN  H   BROWN 

MAURICE  A  DUFFY 

JESSE  B   BAXTER 

SELECTMEN 

AMOR-L  HOLLINCSWORTH 

ORRIN  A  ANDREWS 

JOSEPH  C  WHITNEY 

RODERICK  STEBBINS 

NATHANIEL  T  KIDDER 

HARRISON  O  APTHORP 

CHARLES  E  ROGERSON 

H   HELM  CLAYTON 

ARTHUR  H  TUCKER 

TRUSTEES 


'Town   of  Milton"  Tablet, 
size  2'   10"x3'  4i/2" 
$30.00  per  sq.  ft. 


Eaton  Mausoleum  Door 

(cast  bronze) 
Size  3'  9"  x  8'  5" 
$35.00  per  sq.  ft. 


692  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Wrought   Iron    Stair    Railing,   residence   J.   C.   Tomlinson 
$27.00  per  lineal  ft.,  including  newel 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK 


693 


Stair  Railing  (wrought  iron) 
Residence  R.  Fulton  Cutting,  New  York 

Wrought   Iron    Newels   $225.00  each 

Stair    Railing    30.00  per  lineal  ft. 


694 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


"Wrought   Iron   Area    Fence,  about  5'  0"   high       $3.00  per  sq.  f 


Wrought  Iron  Stair  Railing      Residence  F.  W.  Vanderbilt 
$13.00  per  sq.  ft. 


ORNAMENTAL   IRON    WORK 


695 


Wrought  Iron  Transom  Grille,      size  5'  4"  x  3'  0"  high     $9.00  per  sq.  i 


HERE  ON  GROUND  INHERITED  BY  HIM  FROM 

lESTYN  AP  GWRGAN 

LIE  THE  REMAINS  OF 

JOHN    BEVAN 

BORN  IN  GL AMORGANSH1RE, WALES,  1636.DIED  J726 

JUDGE  OF  THE  COMMON  PLEAS  AND 

A  MEMBER  OF  ASSEMBLY  IN  PENNSYLVANIA 

AND    OF 

BARBARA  AUBREY 

HIS   WIFE 

BORN    1637- DIED    1710 
AND    OF 

BARBARA 

'THEIR    DAUGHTER 
DIED  -1705  -  AGtD  23  YEARS 
THIS    TABLET    ERECTED    1904    BY 
THE    BEVAN     DESCENDANTS    IN    AMERICA 


"Sevan"  Tablet,  size  2'  6"  x  2    0"     $25.00  per  sq.  ft. 


696 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Elevator  Car,  $300  in  black  finish;   in  bronze  finish  30  cents 
per  square  foot  extra 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK 


697 


The  prices  for  the  following  grilles,  counter  railings,  etc., 
are  based  on  the  ordinary  finishes  such  as  nickel  plate,  bright 
silver,  electro  bronze,  etc.  Silver  plating  costs  more.  The 
material  estimated  on  is  polished  steel.  Brass  costs  about 
20  per  cent.  more. 


18x27 


18x27,  $21.00 


$5.40  per  sq.  ft. 


698 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


18x27 


18  x  27,  $5.60 


$2.70  per  sq.  ft. 


18x27,  $19.60 


18x27,  $12.60 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK 


699 


Wicket  $15.40.     Posts  $9.45  each 
Grilles  up  to  18"  high.     Entire  rails  36"  high 
Balance  of  metal  work,  $9.45  per  lineal  ft. 


30"  high,  2"  tubes,  per  running  ft.,  $7.43 
Gates,  $6.75  each 


700 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


With  bars  3-8  square,  jet  black  finish,  70  cents  per  square 
foot.  Door,  $10  extra.  Approximately,  $1  per  sq.  ft.,  includ- 
ing everything. 

Elevator  enclosures  run  from  $1  per  sq.  ft.  to  $5,  without 
reaching  fine  ones  of  special  design. 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK  701 


LIBRARY  FITTINGS. 

The  following  figures  are  given  by  Snead  &  Co.,  Jersey 
City,  for  this  book.  As  with  all  such  work  the  conditions  in 
the  specifications,  local  wages,  freight,  etc.,  change  the 
prices,  but  a  fair  idea  may  be  gained  for  a  preliminary  es- 
timate or  a  physical  valuation  from  the  data. 

For  straight  stack  work  the  price  may  run  from  50  cents 
to  $1  per  lineal  foot  of  shelving.  This  is  when  not  exceeding 
the  standard  height  of  1'  6"  or  7'. 

Sheet  metal  wall  shelving  without  any  ornamentation,  about 
8"  deep  and  10'  high,  costs  from  $3  to  $5  per  lineal  foot  set 
in  place.  Cut  A  shows  this  type.  The  finish  is  enamel.  The 
rolling  ladders  cost  about  $15  each,  f.o.b.,  and  the  track  25 
cents  per  lineal  foot,  set  in  place. 

Double  faced  shelving  as  shown  in  cuts  B  and  C,  set  in 
place,  $8  to  $9  per  lineal  foot  at  16"  wide,  and  7'  to  7'  6" 
high.  For  10"  width,  or  20",  counting  both  sides,  $9  to  $10. 
If  stock  designs  are  followed  it  makes  little  difference 
whether  the  ends  are  plain  or  ornamental. 

Cut  D  shows  a  typical  example  of  multiple  tier  stack  con- 
struction. Plain  straight  work,  tiers  T  to  7'  6",  6  rows  of 
adjustable  shelves,  and  one  row  of  solid  plate  shelves  in  the 
height  of  each  tier,  set*  in  place,  $10  to  $11  per  lineal  foot  of 
double  range  8"  shelves;  and  $11  to  $12  for  10". 

Plain  sheet  steel  warehouse  shelving  about  8"  with  angle 
and  tee  iron  uprights  can  be  installed  for  as  low  as  25  to  30 
cents  per  lineal  foot  of  shelving. 

A  hand  power  booklift  for  three  or  four  stock  tiers  costs 
about  $125  set  in  place,  but  not  including  the  enclosure.  Per 
tier  of  exra  heigh,  add  about  $10. 


702 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Type  A. 


ORNAMENTAL   IRON    WORK 


703 


Type   B. 


704  THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Type  C. 


ORNAMENTAL    IRON    WORK 


705 


Type  D. 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Immanuel  Hospital,  Omaha,  Neb. 


- 

-Mil 


2  Fire-Proof  Wing  to  State  Hospital,  Lincoln,  fteb. 


TYPICAL     BUILDINGS     ANALYZED 


No.  3 

McCague 
Building, 
Omaha 


No,  4 

Electric 
Light 
Building, 
Omaha 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Manderson 

Block, 
Omaha 


Harris  and 
Fisher 
Blocks, 
Omaha 


TYPICAL    BUILDINGS    ANALYZED 


0> 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Presbyterian  Semiuary,  Omaha 


Block  of  Flats,  Omaha 


TYPICAL     BUILDINGS     ANALYZED 


Roof  of  Passenger  Station 


Bancroft  School,  Omaha 


THE     NEW     BUILDING     ESTIMATOR 


Half  of  Steel  Framework  of  No  7 


Part  of  Steel  Framework  of  U.  P.  R.  R.  Boiler  Shop,  Omaha 


TYPICAL    BUILDINGS    ANALYZED 


1 


IIP 


INDEX. 


Abutments,  concrete  107 

'    lace  wk  o2 

'    stone    02 

Accuiacy    425 

Acetylene    294 

Ada,  muriatic    96 

Actmolite    247 

Actual  quantities  concrete  ...  52 

Air  tight  doors   355 

Alabastiue    276 

Anchors  13,  19,  63,  220 

Apartment  houses   667,  672 

Appreciation    572,   573 

Approaches    609 

Approx  estg   11  to  39 

Arches,   brick    85,  87 

"    concrete     108 

"    tile   484 

Area   of  circles    425 

Artificial   ice   plant    321 

Asbestolith     299 

Asbestos    24 

"    cost    127 

'    floor    299 

"    lumber   ....127 

"    paper    256 

"    sheathing    127 

"    shingles   28,  128,  368 

Ash  pit    333 

"     "    doors    234 

Ashlar   granite    109 

"     measurement 68 

"    setting    69 

Asphalt    246 

"     paint     265 

"    paving    100,   110 

"     shingles     128 

Asphaltum    97 

Assessing 630 

Automatic  sprinklers    303 

Aver   carpenter   labor    ...156,157 

Axle  pulleys   233 

328 


Backfilling    42,   105,   491 

Backing,    brickwork    80 

"    rubble,   concrete    109 

Back  plaster  per  sq  yd   ..26,  136 

Baggage  rooms    314 

Balances,  sash  166,  233,  379 

Balusters    187 

"    cement    133 

"    porch 202 


Bands,  wood,  labor  159 

Barbed   wire   229 

Barbers'   poles   270 

Barns  305,  313,  344 

Barrel    bolts    232 

'    capacity    83,    263 

Barrett   roof    248 

Base,  cement  60 

'    cost  of  wood    32 

"    inside   price,    wood    185 

'    labor,   wood   159,167 

'    marble  and  tile  297 

Base,  price,  wood   199 

Basement  sleepers  17,  18 

Bases,  for  metal  cols 21 

Bases,  for  porch  cols  •. 221 

Baths    283,   305 

Batten  doors 183 

Battens    185 

Bedford  stone,  cost   67,  73 

"     "    cost   per   If    69,    70 

Benches,   cost    335 

Beveled   plate   190 

Bids  on  fireproofing   119 

Bids,  variation  577 

Bins    317,  "653,  657 

Blackboards,  plaster  145 

"    slate    254 

Blacksmith  shop    ...316,  317,  321 

"     cost     325 

Blinds    270,    353,    371 

'    labor    171 

'    price    , 184 

Block   paving    106 

Blocks,    cement    130 

"     "    cost    130 

'     "    factory     131 

"    wood,   price    184,  201 

Blue  printing  mch.,   cost    ....335 

Bm  in  roof  per  sq   . , 28 

Bm  or  If  151 

Bm  system  of  estg   150 

Bm   table    411 

Boat  spikes   226 

Boiler    setting    85 

"    shops,   etc 38,  316,   325 

'    "    steel   wt    215 

Boilers,  cost,  heating  335 

"    heating   287,  626,  628 

"     kit    284 

Bolts    226 

"    barrel,   flush    232 

Bond  in   brick   96 

Bonds    357 

Boring    posts    171 

Boston  schools   639,  643 


Brackets,   galv   iron    241 

"    iron,   siielf   234 

"     wood    33,   186,   188 

Brass  butts   ....231 

"    footrail    188,    297 

"    foundry,  cost   333 

"    track     233 

-  "    weight    213,  406 

Brick : 

••    arches    85,   87 

"     bond 96 

"    carload    87 

Brick,  chipped   96 

"     cleaning     86 

"    cornices     , 88 

"    danger 81 

"    enameled     87 

"    examples  of  estg   .76,  77,  78 

"    general 590 

"    hollow  wall   80 

"    houses    36 

"    in  engine  house    ...339 

"    in   machine   shop    78 

"    laid  in  sewer   101 

"    loading  and  unloading  .  .356 

"    making    426 

"     nogging     81 

"    or   cement    block    132 

"    "  glass     39 

"    paving    97,   99 

"    "     No.  to  yd 99 

"    per  cu   yd    80 

"     "    sq   ft    133 

"    pilasters    79 

"    platforms    99 

"     pressed,   measurement    . .  86 

"    quality     363 

"    required  79,  80 

"    required  for  boilers   85 

"    sewers    101,    104,   110 

"    size   74,  75,  345 

"    stacking    86 

"    to  cu  ft   74,  75 

"     to    sq    ft    74,  75 

"    vitrified  paving   97 

"    waste     80 

"    wt    406 

"    $29    432,   435 

"     100,000   more    432 

Brickmasons  &  lab  proportion  92 

Brick   work,   backing    80 

"    chimneys    83,    84 

"    cost  of    11,  81,  113 

"     cost  of  lab    79,  91-94,  96 

"    double  faced  95 

"    enameled     95 

"    expensive    95 

"    measurement 

74-78,   499,   505-508 

"    mortar   88,  89 

"    patching    82 

"    per   cu    yd Ill 

"    pressed,  cost  of   12,  517 


Brick  work,  rate  of   113 

"     shoved  work  81 

"    taking    down    356 

"    tapestry     515 

"    Underpinning    82 

"    veneering    96,   518 

"    washing    down    96 

Bridge,   stone,   cost    63 

Bridges,   concrete    613-614 

"    depreciation    562,    611 

"     "    values    613 

"     "    weight   612 

Bridging,   cost    17 

"    cutting     189 

"    lab    157 

"    material    173 

'    metal    16 

"    partitions    24 

"    wood     13 

Bronze    railing    110 

Brush,  weighted    274 

Brushes     272 

Building  paper,   per  sq   .  .23,  256 

"     percentages    33-38 

"     permit    8 

"    tile,   hollow   82 

Bunk  houses   320 

Burlap    272,    378 

Butts     ".379 

"     prices    230 


Cable    Ill 

Caissons,  measurement  of  495,496 

Calking    246 

Calsomine    261,    266 

Canvas  roofs   525,  526 

Caps  and  bases,  ci  21 

"    composition     201 

'    for  cols,  plaster    145 

"    galv   iron    241 

"    trim,    wood    200 

Card    index    system    359 

Carey  roofing  29  247 

Carload,  brick    87 

"    cement     56 

"    ferroinclave  126 

"    furnaces    292 

"    lime    91 

"    tile     255 

Carpentry,  approx  est   12 

"lab    ....     14,  15 

"     lab   general    150,    427-429 

"    lab  on  cottages   385,  386 

"    lab  per  sq  ft  on  shops   .317 

"     rough     114 

Carpet   lining   ^..257 

Car  shop  cost   319,  320,  321 

"     "    steel    215 

Cartage  of  earth  42 

Cases,  pantry  202 

"     per  sq  ft 32,  33,  656,  657 

Casings    184    199 


Castings,  wt  394 

Cast  iron 210 

Cast  iron  cols   21,  211,  212 

Cast   washers    227 

C  1  pipe,    wt    ....396 

Caution,   no  profit    9 

Cedar  block  paving  101 

"    posts     30 

Ceiling   beams    166 

"    height   of    366 

"    lab    157,  166,  167 

"    material    179 

"    metal    23,   241 

"    on    studs    26 

"    on  walls,  lab   167 

"    paneled    166 

"     per  sq  22,  25 

Cellar  drainer 286 

"    sash 193 

Cellars,   brick  floor   100 

"    in   general    362 

Cement,  blocks  or  brick  .132,  520 
"    blocks    mat'l    required    131 

"•  brick    133 

"    coated   nails    226 

"    for  concrete 50,  51,  52 

"    grouting    97,   98 

"    house,    cost    432 

"    mortar    64,  89 

"    natural    49 

"    non-staining    72,   478 

'*    packed,  unpacked  56 

"    production    57 

"    roofing,   slaters    249 

"    wall   -..520,  540 

Cement,  stone,  cost  129 

"    tile  295 

"    walks   110 

"    wt    53,   345 

Centering    86,   108,   179 

Cesspools    83 

Chain    bolts   232 

"    railing    110 

Chair  rail  32 

Charcoal    235 

"    iron    243 

Cheapness   388 

Checking   mat'l    176,   178 

Chicago    millwork    190 

Chimney   foundations   315 

"    stacks    ....83,    315,    591,    611 

"    wrecking    611 

Chimneys    breast    84 

"    cost,  lab    83 

"    quality   364 

"    table  of  costs 84 

"    top,   rebuilding    84 

China  closets    171,   202 

"    "    doors    192 

Chipped   brick    96 

Choice  of  mat'l   361 

"     "    wood    375 

Churches     305 


Chute,  escape,  iron   221 

Cinder  concrete   57,  122 

Circle,   properties    393,   425 

Circular  woodwork   188- 

"    work     502 

Cisterns   82,   506 

City  Halls   305 

Cleaning     brick     86- 

(Technical     World      Magazine, 
January,    1900,    tells    of    ma- 
chine that  cleans  15,000  to 
20,000  per  day.) 

Cleaning  concrete   124. 

"    old   paint    267 

"    old   stone    72 

"    steel    265 

Clearing    lot    40 

Clearstory   per  If    29 

Cleveland   valuation    634 

Clocks    595 

Closets     365 

Coach  shop 321 

Coal  bins    610 

"     buckets    610 

"    chute    333 

'    hole  covers    218 

"    pockets    647 

"     shed 316  333 

"    tar 337 

"    to  cu  ft  610 

Coils,  heating   288;  291 

Cold  water  paint    3,  275  276 

Color   264,  269 

"    mortar     91 

Columns  c  i,  wt   211 

'    cut   stone    69,   425,   426 

"    granite  73 

"    porch    201,   202 

"    wood  for  doorway  203 

"    wood,   wt    408 

Combinations   per  sq    23,  24 

Comparative  Costs : 

1    brick   &  glass    39 

1    brick   &  wood    39 

"    brick,  fire  and  ordinary 

113-117,   302,   510,    517 
"    nouses   ....117,  362,  512,  517 

Compo   board    136,   146 

Composition  caps   201 

"    of    gravel    roof    245 

Compressed  air   painting   ....274 

Concrete  abutments  107 

arches    108 

base    98  99 

block  table   130 

cinder     57 

conduits    124 

cottages   644 

drilling  holes  in   ....57,  214 

filling  on  arches  114 

floor,    cost    113 

floor,  quantities  . 59,  495 

floor,  surfacing   60,  126 


Concrete  forms   45,  106,  493 

"    gutters   ,. 59 

"    heating  and  hoisting   ...  48 

"    in  detail   49,  57 

"    in  engine   houses   339 

'    in    partitions    ....122 

"    in  platforms,  steps   109 

"     Kahn's   124,  125 

"    lab    45,  48,   106,  107 

"    machine  foundry    ...45,   334 

41    machine  mixing    48 

"    measurement 

49,  488,   489  492-497 

'    mixers   48 

"    natural  cement    49 

"    piers    489,  492 

"     piles    44 

porch  cols    114 

posts     133 

price   ....11  45,  49,  109,   113 

projections     493 

quantities   49-52 

sewers    104 

stairs    125 

"     storage  cellar   554,  555 

"    tables    54-56 

"    tanks    ; 553 

"    walls   and  floors    58,  59 

"    warehouses   302,  646,  647 

"    water  table   57 

"    wt    56 

Condenser   335 

Conduits : 

"     concrete     124 

"    electric   293 

"    price  Ill 

Contingencies  9,  432,  581 

"Contract,    Uniform"     7 

Convenient   multiples    394 

Coping,    stone   70 

"    tile,  wall  88 

Copper   cornices    244 

'     painting   of   433 

"    per  sq    28 

"    rods    406 

"     wt    213 

Cord,  disuse  of   3 

Corkolin    299 

Corner  beads    184 

"    boards,   lab    159 

Cornice,  brick   88,  506 

"    copper    244 

"    galv  iron    240,   241 

"      "        "  detailed  cost  523-526 

"    mitre  galv  iron   240 

"     plaster    144,   503,   508 

"    wood  per  If 33,  157,  167 

Corrugated    floor   rubber    299 

"    iron    237 

Cost,  actual  only  9 

"    and  size  630,  632 

"    electric   light    293 

"    fireprooflng    118 


Cost,  houses   ...384,  387,  389,  390 

"    of  roofs  per  sq 27,  28 

"    paint  itemized   262 

"    per  sq  and  cu  ft 300-314 

"    tile,  fireproof,  per  sq  ft  119 

'    tin,  per  sq   235,  236 

"    walls,  brick,  per  sq  ft   .133 
'    walls,  wood,  per  sq  ft   .  25 

"    windows    192 

Cottage,  Chaps  26  &  27 

Cottages,   concrete    644 

Counters    188 

Counting  the  cost  343,  431 

Coursed  ashlar    69 

Court   houses    305 

Covering  joists  per  sq  21 

"     Pipe  288 

1    roofs,  per  sq  28,  29 

"     studs,  per  sq   26 

Cranes,   electric,   cost    335 

"    sand    320 

"    setting,   etc    218 

Crematory    333 

Creosoted    block   paving    105 

Creosoting  timber    173 

Cresting    188,    238 

Crowning   joists    189 

Crusher    56,   426 

Cubing    630 

Culverts     106 

Cupolas  for  foundry  335 

Curbing   97,  98,  99,  105,  110 

Cut  stone  68  69,  70 

"        "  cols 69 

"    sills   69,  338,  345 


Dairy   barns    305 

Damp   proofing    82,   276,   277 

Danger  in  brick   81 

Deadening  felt   256 

Deafening   quilt   355 

Decay  in  lumber 362 

Decimal  equivalents  393,  394,  412 

Decorated   tile    297 

Dehydratine    276 

Depot,   freight,   mill  work    186 

"    freight,    mill  work    cost    .314 
Depreciation   buildings : 

"     appreciation    561 

"    average    560,  612 

"     buildings    564,    565 

"    Cleveland  tables  of  569,   570 
"    for  new  conditions  .558,  559 

"    importance     559 

"    in  general   .310-312,  556,  627 

"    5s  there  any  ?   567,  568 

"    life  of  bldgs 556,  557 

"    methods   of   557,   559 

"     Neb.  tables  of   561-567 

Derrick    154 

Design  of  houses   360 

Detailed   schedules   588,  596 


Dimension— lumber,  etc.    .150-172 

Directory,   building    356 

Discounts,  glass   205 

"     millwork     180 

Dome  interiors  467,  484 

Doors : 

"     batten  183 

"    cheeks    232 

"    china   closet    192 

"    cost  of   31,  190 

"    factory     183 

"    fire   128,  610 

"    fireproof    244,   661 

"    grained    191 

"     hardware    227 

"    in   general    373 

"    iron  grilles  689,  690 

"     jambs    198,  199 

"    korelock    191 

"    lab    168,  169 

"    mausoleum     691 

"     per  sq  ft  183 

"     revolving   33,  661 

"     sizes    353,    373 

"    springs    232 

"    vault    219 

"     W.   C 280,  283 

"     wt   of    408 

Dormers  29,  365 

Downspouts    ....31,   235,  238,   376 

Drawers    188 

"     pulls    233 

Dredge     42 

Drift  bolts,  price   226 

Drill  halls    305 

Drilling,    concrete    214 

"    stone    71,    426 

Driving   piles    43 

Drop  pits   340 

Dry  kiln   320,  321,  333,  610 

Dry  lumber   sheds   321,  333 

Dumbwaiters    228 

Duplex  hangers   220,  221 

"     post  caps 20 

"    switches    293 


Eagles    

Earth,  load   

"    slope     

Egg  and  dart  molding 

Ejectors,    cost   

Elastic  pulp  plaster    ....146, 

Elaterite  roofs   29, 

Electric  light,  cost 

286,  293,  344, 

Electric  light  standard    

Elevators   357,  595, 

"    enclosures    

"     grain   ..155,  156,  303,  625 

Embankment  walls    

Enamel    paint    267 

Enameled  brick   87 


241 
41 
42 

241 

285 
147 
247 

595 


700 
628 

62 
271 

95 


"Engineering"    432,  658,  660 

Engine  houses   ..330,  338-343,  605 

"        "    concrete    339 

"     cost    339-343 

"        "    drop  pits    340 

"    electric    light    344 

"        "    fire   walls,  frame    ..343 

'    mat!  and  lab    339 

"        "    number    brick    339 

"    piles    339 

'    pits   341,   610 

"        "     rectangular     341 

"        "     reinforced  concrete  343 

"        "     smokejacks    343 

Engines    626,   628 

Equipment   of   shops    323-334 

Erecting  shops    38,   316,  324 

"     shops   brick  on   78 

Erection  of  steel  216 

Escutcheons     232 

Estimates,   approx    5-39 

'    keeping 6 

Estg.  by  sq   12-30 

"     separating   items    5 

"    time  taken   5 

Exact  cost    9 

Excavation:  11,  490,  491,  590,  658 
"    actual 

40,  41,   105-7,   109,   113,   449 

"    circular     538 

1    general  11,  490,  491,  590,  658 
'    machine  foundations  41,  334 

"    machine  work  102,  105 

'    rock   „ 41,  109 

'    table    42 

"    trench,  and  pit  work 

278,  491,  497 

Expanded   metal    3 

'    metal   cost    121 

'    metal,  fire   proofing  120,  123 

'    metal,    forms,    lab    122 

"    metal,  lath,   sizes,   walls  121 

Expansion    bolts     226 

"    joint    287 

Exposition   buildings    300 

Express  rooms   314 

Exterior  walls,  cost  of 

487,  517-522 
Extras    7,   487 


Facade  cleaning    71 

Factories     302 

Factory   doors    183 

'    electric    lights    293 

'    of  cement  blocks 131 

Falsework    155 

Fans    336 

Felt    23,   246,   255,    256,   257 

Fences,  general    596 

Fences,  iron,  railroad  219,  608,  609 
"    wood    30  156 


Fenestra    479 

Ferroinclave 126,  549 

Filling  earth    ...42,   100,   10!),  110 

"     wood    201,   204,   271,   273 

Filters,    water    336 

Finials     238 

Finish : 

"    hardwood    203 

"    lumber  33,  179 

"    oak 187 

Fire  brick 95 

"    clay    90 

doors    128 

Engine  houses  301 

escapes 221 

loss   112,  113,  310 

proof  doors   244,   661 

proof  vaults    308 

proof  windows    243 

risk    365 

walls     343 

proofing,    bids   on    119 

proofing,  centering 

86,  120,  122,  124 
proofing,  comparison  113,117 
proofing,  cost  113  117,  123 
proofing,  ex-metal  ..122-125 

'     proofing,   general    591 

Fire  proofing,  lab,   hauling, 

lumber,  mortar    120 

"     proofing    reinforced     121 

'    proofing,    tile    118-120 

Fittings,  plumbing  and  steam 

heat    283,  291 

Fixtures,   plumbing,   setting   .280 

Flagstones    69,   110 

Flashing    31,   237 

Flats   304,  305 

Flemish  bond   96 

Flexifold    partitions    25 

Flooring  hardwood    203 

'    on  studs  per  sq   26 

"     per    sq    21,   22,   23 

"     size,  grade   ....351,  371,  372 

"     wt  of 409,  410 

Floors   allowances    179 

'    asphalt    246 

"    concrete     59 

'     finishes    273,    380 

"     fire-proof  cost    125 

"    kind    371 

lab   154,  159,  160,  161 

oiling    273 

plank     177 

plank  2-in.  T  G 154,  160 

pulp 299 

shop    337 

"    smoothing     by      machin- 
ery    162 

"     special    594 

"    tile    295 

"    6-in  lab  on    163 

Flue  doors   234 


Flue    linings,,    cost 84 

Flush    bolts 232 

"    tanks    103 

Fly  screens    185,  371 

Folding    doors     610 

Footings 590 

Foot   rail,    brass    297 

Forms    107,    108,    122 

'    cost    45 

"    cost   reinforced   fireproof 

123-126 

'    m  system   126 

'    material   req'd    490 

"    measurement  of 488,  493 

"    nails    for    46,    225 

"    rule  for   46,  47 

"     (See  "Silos") 

"    sheet     411 

"     waste  in    124 

Foundries   215,  317,  326,  333 

Fountains    „ 610 

Frame  Engine   house .343 

"     stations    314 

"     walls,   cost    521,  522 

Frames  win  and  door 

183,  184,  197,  198 

Framing,   wood    114 

"    &  hauling  on  tile  ..119,   120 
Freight  depot  electric   light   .294 

"    depot  mill  work   186 

Fretwork     370 

Front  doors   31,  183,  190 

Furnaces    291,   382 

Furring    : 158,    177,   242 

"    per  sq    29 


Gable,  advantage  of   360 

'    ends    186 

Gable,  ornaments    241 

"     per  sq    24 

Gall   in   bbl    82,   263,   397 

"     in  tanks    397,   398 

Galv  i  cornice   240,  524 

"    i  in  general  235 

"    i  in  heavy  pipes   243 

"    i  per  sq  29,  31 

'    i  sheets  to  sq  404 

Garage  per  sq  ft 

305,   450,  452,   644-646 

Gas  pipe  281,  285,  286 

"     pipe  rail  110  219 

"    tar   237 

'    water  heaters   293 

Gasoline  engines   357 

Gates,   iron    219,   699 

"    wagon     30 

Girders   171,  366 

"    wt  of  steel  215 

Glass  bedding  and  quality   ..375 
"     discounts    ...205 


Glass  net  prices    208,209 

"    or   brick    39 

"    partitions  per  sq   25 

"     prices    205,  206 

"    prism    207 

"    Salvage    207 

"    salvage,  setting  207 

"    setting   207 

"    skylight    207 

"    translucent   20.7 

"    tile     255 

"    wt  and   quality    207,  599 

Glazing,  cost  ...205,  206,  353,  479 

Gold  leaf    260 

"    letters    271 

"    production    580,  581 

Goosenecks   244 

Grades,   lumber    347-351 

Grading   98,  99 

Grain  elevator,  lab    156 

"    elevator   depreciation    ...312 

"    elevator  per  sq  ft    303 

Graining    271 

Granite   Ashlar    109 

"     cols    73,   425 

"    cost  of 67 

"    lab    ..." 66,  67 

"    paving  98,  191,  105 

"    work 109,  426,  591 

Graphite    260,   269 

Grates,   vent    234 

Gratings,   wrot   iron    219 

Gravel  roof  per  sq 23,  245 

"    walk    ' 110 

Greenhouses  per  sq  ft   .  .305,   306 
Grilles,  iron  689,  690,  695,  697,  699 

"    wood  187 

Grounds    164,  165,  177,  371 

Grouting   97,  98  100 

Guards,  snow   253 

Gutters,     construction    376 

"    copper    244 

"    galv  i  238 

"    street 98,  99 

"    wood    159,    176 


Hair    142 

Hand  labor   425-429 

Hangers,  beam   19,  220,  221 

"    duplex,  etc 19,  220,  221 

"    sliding   228 

Hardware   223,  593 

"    for  large  door   227 

"    for  large  win  227 

Hardwood  flooring 

22,  160,  163,  203 

"    flooring,  lab  on 161,  162 

'    flooring,  oiling  273 

"    flooring,  wt  410 

Hauling  71,  105,  120,  253,  591 

Hearth   tile    295 

Heater   box   ...  ...337 


Heaters,  gas   293  661 

Heating   287-293  595 

"     buildings  per  cf   ...291,  316 

"     boilers    287 

"    coils    288,    291 

"     cost    287 

"    Engine  houses  343 

'    ex  joints  287 

"    for   concrete    48 

"    for  plaster   136 

"    furnace    291,    367,    382 

"    hot   blast    291 

"    hot  water   287,  290,  293 

"    pipe  4-in.  cost   288 

Heating   radiators    287 

"    steam    290 

High  priced  paint 270 

High  prices   572 

Hinges    230,   231 

"    strap  and  tee  233 

Hip   rolls    241 

Hods     233 

Hoes,    mortar   233 

Hoisting   for   concrete    48,   59 

Hole  digging  in   concrete    ...  57 

"    digging  in  earth  359 

"     digging  in  stone 71 

Hollow  building  tile 82 

"    tiles,  cost   118 

"    walls   80,  505 

Hose    234 

Hotbed,    sash    * 196 

Hospitals  per  sq  ft   304 

Hotels    304 

Houses,  cost  of 384,  512-515 

Howe  truss  29,  152,  652 

Hydrants ...280 


Ice  houses  320,  321,  333 

"    houses,  small 

321,  608,  609,  646 

Inside  paint    270 

Insurance  7,  8,  115,  517,  532 

"    adjusting    310 

"    fire,  liability   357 

"    tanks    619 

Iron  and  coal  shed 321 

"    and  steel  ...12,  210,  214,  591 

Iron  caps  and  bases   20,  21 

"    chain   railing 110 

cols    211,   212 

cost    103 

detailed  prices   222 

house    ...316 

setting     214,    216 

stair  railing,  wt  iron  692-694 

stairs    222 

wickets     697-699 

wt   213,  399,  407 

Ironite    276 

Italian   marble    283,   484 

Itemized  cost   of  paint   267 


Jack  arches  87 

Jamb  guards,  iron  229 

Jambs 184,  198,  199 

"    paneled    169 

Joints  in  finish   373 

Joist  hangers   19,  220,  221 

Joists  by  sq   12,  14,  15 

'    covering  per  sq 21 

"    crowning     189 

"    No.  to  sq   14 

"    sizes   ...172,  348,  367 

"    sizing     154 

Jute  and  lead    .  ...534 


Kahn  system  data 124,  125 

Keene's  cement   136,  140,  141 

Keeping  count   431 

"    estimates    6 

Kinds  of  glass  206 

King  turntables 600-604 

Knobs     232 


Labor : 

carpentry    14,    150-171 

carpentry       of      6-story 

building    154 

culverts     106 

dimension  lumber 

152,  154,  155 

grain  elevator   155 

large  galv  i  pipes 289 

on   mat'l  on   painting    .  .268 
passenger  stat'n  carpen  157 

pipe  covering   289 

RR  shops  per  sq  ft   ....317 

"    trestles    155 

See  article  required  as 
"shingles,"  under  that 
heading. 

Laborers  on  brickwork   92 

Ladders,   iron   ,  .221 

"     sliding    33 

La  Farge  cement 72,  478 

Lag   screws    226,   400 

Lanterns  shop,  per  If  29 

Large  RR  shops  217 

Lassig  turntables  600-604 

Lath   136,  137,  143,  349,  377 

Lattice   work    186 

Lavatories    284 

Lavatory  buildings  320,   321,  332 

Lawn  vases  133 

Lead    285 

"    and  jute  534 

"     pipe    103,   283,   396 

"    paint   ..263 

"    sash  wts   228 

"     wt  213,  407 

Leaded  glass  190,  206 


Left  hand  door 229 

Letters  in  galv  i    241 

'    in   paint    271 

'    in   stone    71 

Libraries,  cost 308,  659,  660 

Library  fittings   701-705 

'    stone    68 

Lighting   286,  293,  294 

Lightning   rods    337 

Lime,  car  load  91 

'    mortar    64,  89 

'    plaster    3,  142 

"     wt   345,  407 

Limestone  cutting 66 

'    for   concrete    53 

Lining,   vault    219 

Lintels,  sills,  and  base  plates, 

iron   218 

Load,  earth   41 

Loading  brick,  gravel  ...356,  426 

Local  stone   69 

Lockers    320 

Locks   231,  232,  379 

Lumber,    hardwood    203 

'    finish    33 

Lumber,   fire  proofing    120 

'     forms    46,   47 

'    general  592 

'    lab  on   109,  110,  150-171 

"    lengths   ....171,  179,  346-350 

'    mat'l     171-179 

1     price   15 

"    reckoner    350,   411 

'    sheds    320,    333 

'    sizes,    grades,    etc.    ..346-351 

'    unloading    356 

"     wt    409 

Lunch  counter  188 

Luxfer  prisms 207,  218 

M 

Macadam   105,  110 

Machine  bolts   226,  400,  401 

"     bolts,   lab    425-429 

'    bolts,    price    226 

"    excavation    102,    105 

"     shops   ..38,  316,  321,  324,  647 

'    shops,   brick    78 

"    shops,    foundations    45 

"     shops,   steel  wt   215, 

Mahogany  counters   188' 

'    lumber,   price   204 

"    wainscoting     186 

Mail  chute   633 

Manholes    102,   103,  105,  111 

Mantle  facings  296 

"    wt   of   408 

Manufacturing  buildings 

37,  58,   647 

Maple  flooring  by  sq 22 

'    flooring,  lab  160,  161 

'    flooring,    price    189 

"    flooring,   sq  edge   178 


Maple  floors    351,  372 

"    floors,    oiling    380 

"    floors  per  sq 22 

Marble    ....67,   114,   426,   591,   594 

"    artificial    148 

44    base    297 

"    sienna 484 

"     wainscoting     484 

Marbleoid    299 

Masonry : 

"     trimmings    591 

"     wt  of    407 

Master   keys    232 

Mat'l     and     lab     on     Engine 

house    339 

"    required  for  paint   261 

Measurement,  courts  on 486 

44    in   general    10,  485 

"    net    487 

44    of  brickwork 74 

".    of  excavation    40 

44    of  fireproofing   119 

"    of  floor  tile  297 

44    of  pilasters,  etc 79 

"    of   stone    -,  •  67 

(See  item  wanted,  such 
as  concrete,  excava- 
tion, Mo.,  etc.) 

Medallions,  galv  i 241 

Medicine  cabinets   186,  284 

Metal   bridging    16 

44    ceilings    23,   241 

44    corners,   plaster   137,  378 

"     sash   243,  479 

"    studs    222 

44    wainscoting     242 

"    windows    479-483 

Metals,  wt  of  406 

Meters   280,  285,  336 

Mill   construction    20,   155 

"    discounts    180 

Mills,   cotton    303 

Millwork    ..31,   180,   351,   592,   593 

"    labor  427-429 

«    sizes     351-353 

44     stock   patterns   351 

Mineral  paint   260,   269 

44     quantities    263 

"    wool    354 

Mirrors    206 

Missouri    brickwork    499-501 

44    circular  work  502 

"    cornices     500 

44    excavation 498 

44    labor   502 

44    measurement    497 

44     paving    500 

44    plaster  503 

44     roofing     504 

44     stone  499,  502 

Mistakes    392 

Mixed  paints 263 

Moisture  in  brick  362 


Moisture   proofing    518 

Money   drawers    188 

Monitors  per  If   29 

Monolith    .; 299 

44     base,   floors    115 

Mortar  color  90 

44    for  brick,  quantity  . 

88,   89,    91 

44    for  cut  stone    70 

"    for  flrep roofing   120 

44    for   lime    65 

44    for  rubble  62,  64,  65 

4    for  sandstone  72 

44    how  much    1 

44    on  brick,  cost  79,  132 

Mosaic  floors,  etc 114,  484 

Moscow  railroads 434 

Motors 336 

Mould    110 

Mouldings   184,  186,   199 

Mouldings,    book    351 

Multiples,    useful    394 

Municipal     work 97 

Muriatic  acid   96 


N 

Nail,   allowances    225 

Nails,    cement-coated    226 

44    for  forms    46,  225 

44    for  lath   137,  225 

44    for  slate    252,   253 

4     No.  to   Ib    224 

44     per    sq    13 

44    table   ; 224 

Neponset  papers   257 

Newels    187,   693 

Nogging    81 

No.  brick  in  sidewalks   100 

44    coats   paint    266,   379 

"     joists  to   sq    14,  18 

"    pieces  of  wood  in  bldg...588 

"    tiles  to  sq  ft 298 

"    26  galv  i,  1  sq  237 


Oak   extra    179 

44     finish    187,    203 

44    flooring,   cost    189,  203 

44    flooring,    grade    204 

"    floors   per  sq    22 

"    grading     204 

"    lab  161,  162,  163 

"    quality  372 

1    wainscoting    179   187 

Oakum     285 

Ochre    266 

Ofllce  buildings  306-308,  332 

Oil   houses    318,   330 

Omaha    measurement    505 

Open  plumbing   374 


Openings,  cost  of 31,  32,  39 

"  deductions  494,  500,  507 

"  size  of  487 

Order  of  estimating    5 

Ornamental  iron  work  592,  681,  700 
"  tile  work 297 

Outside  walls  per  sq  24 


Pails 233 

Paint    brushes    272 

"    coldwater    274,   275 

"    cost  of  33 

"    filling    ....261,   264,   271,  273 

"    gall  in  bbl 263 

"    gold  leaf 260 

"    kind  of    380 

"    lab     266 

"    mineral  .30,  260,  262,  263,  269 

"     on   plaster    266 

"    per  steel  ton  , 266 

"     priming    262 

"     required  263,  264 

"    shops    327,   333 

"     wt   263,  264 

Painting    259 

"    colors    379 

cost    262,  -268 

measurement    .  .259,  508,  509 

No.  coats    379 

of  copper    433 

on   brick    260,  265 

on  steel  265 

per  sq    23,  26 

prices    inside    271 

quantities   260,  266 

spheres    260 

tin    235 

Paint  shops   320,  327 

Paneling   per  sq  ft    186 

Pantries,    lab    171 

Pantry   draw  cases   202 

Paper,  building   177,  256 

Parquet  floors    189 

"     roofing    246,   256,   257 

Parlor  cols  203 

Paroid  roofing   257 

"     roofing,  nails  for   257 

"    roofing,  wt  of 257 

Partitions  ceiled   per  sq   25 

"     flexifold    per    sq    25 

'    iron   studs    122 

"    mahogany     186 

"     office 187,  658,  662 

"     per   sq    24 

"     rolling   per   sq    25 

41    tile    82 

Passenger  car  paint  shops   ..327 
"    repair  shops    326 

"    station  lab   157 

"    station  lighting  294 

"    station  millwork  186 


Patent  roofs   246 

Pattern  shops 326 

Patterns  for  castings  ...210,  394 
Paving  69,  97,  98,  99,  105,  106,  596 

'    brick,  cost  ....100 

'    flagstone   69,  110 

'    granite  block' 101 

Payment  of  ests   8 

Pediments,  galv  i  241 

Percentages    307,    633 

'    blacksmith      shop      and 

foundry   317 

'    car  shop   319 

"    in   buildings    33-38,   116 

Perch,  disuse  of  3,  486 

Photos   153 

Physical  Valuation: 

'     blanks   583,  585,  586 

'    Cleveland    634-638 

'    cost    of    584 

'    in  general  .571,  582,  583,  634 

'    on  interest  rate 672 

'    square  ft    587 

Picket  fences 30 

Pickets     188 

Picture    mould    32,    200 

Piers,  brick,  porch  ..364,  501,  505 

'    concrete    489,    493 

'    stone   62,  499,  598 

Pigeon  holes  33 

Piles 43,  44,  109,  597 

'    concrete    44 

'    in  Engine  house 341 

"    wood   43,  105 

Piling 11 

"    per  sq  ft  of  building 

316,  318,  319 

Pipe  covering  288 

'    galv  i  31,  235,  238 

"    lab    429 

'    lengths,  wrot  iron  282 

'    sewers   103,  104,  111,  333 

"    water,    etc. 

Ill,   282,    287,   333,    337 

Piping,    special    595 

Pitch   245,  246 

Pitch  of  roof   174,  367 

Pits   341,  610 

Plank   floors    177 

"    lab  on  154,  156 

"    per  sq 21 

Planing  mills   329 

Plaster  back   136 

"    blackboards     145 

'    blocking     136 

'    centers    145 

'    cols  and  caps  145 

'    cornices   144,  503 

'    cost  of   135,  518 

hair     142 

"    heating  136,  144 

"    kind  of  3,  134,  142,  377,  594 
"     lab    137,  143 


Plaster  measurement  134,  503,  508 

'     muslin    144 

'    No.  coats    377 

"    of  Paris   142 

"    old   brick   144 

'    on  brick   135 

"    on  ferroinclave   127 

"    on  old  concrete  277 

"    on  tile,  etc 115,  135 

"    on   wood   lath    114 

"     1  3-4    136,   460,  466 

"    outside  136,  148 

"    paint  on   382 

"    partitions,  wt 144 

"    patching    143 

"    per   sq    23,  26,  27 

"    per  yd  31,  135 

"    prices   143 

"    pulp    146,    147 

'    putty  142 

"    quantities  required 

138,   139,   140,   142 

"    sand,  sand  finish   138 

"    screens     144 

"    stucco     138 

"    tables    415-424 

Plasterers  and  laborers   144 

Plate  rail   200 

Platforms,  brick   99 

"    general  596 

"    heavy    610 

"    lab,  wood  155 

'    per  sq  wood   30 

"     roofs    per   sq    30 

Plugs,  wall 158,  228 

Plumbii/g    278 

(See  baths,  soil  pipe,  or 
any    article    required, 
under  proper  heading.) 
"     lab    ..278,   279,   280,   283,   594 
Pointing : 

brick   96 

stone  71,  72 

Poles,  wood,  concrete  359 

Porch    balusters    202 

cols  cement   133 

col  bases  c  i 221 

floor   per   sq    22 

lab     164 

piers    364 

posts   187,  201 

rail    202 

Porches,    design    369 

Portland  cement,  bbl  52 

"    cement,   plaster    outside 

148,  149 

Post  offices  307,  309 

Posts,  boring 171 

"    cedar     30,    359 

"    concrete 133 

"    hole  digging   ..156,  229,  359 

Power  houses 315,  321,  323 

Pressed   brick    364 


Pressed  brick,  cost  ...87,  88,  113 

"     brick,  fine  work   95 

1    brick,    No.   laid    96 

"    brick,  quantity  required 

12,  86 

"    brick  work    12,   132 

Price,   Bedford  stone   67 

Price  book   359 

"    list  of  papers   256 

"    of  iron  and  steel 218 

Prices  of  bldg  material,  etc. 

576-579 

"    of  electric  fittings   294 

'     of  glass    205,  206 

"    of  joists  per  sq    14,   15 

"     rising    572,    574,   578 

"     "     causes    579-581 

Prism  glass  and  lights  ..207,  218 

Profit   4,  6,   8,  9,  10 

Prong  studs    122 

Pull  downs   233 

Pulleys,   sash    198 

Pulp   floors    299 

Pumping  water   105,  107,  492 

Pumps    626,    628 

"    house    280,   600 

Purington  block 97,  100 

Purlins,   lab  on   154 

Push    plates    232 

Putty   260,  265,  379 

'     required  for  glazing  206,  479 

Q 

Q  S  flooring   22,  372,   373 

Quality    of   paint    268 

Quantities,  paint  required  260,266 
'    for   cold   water    paint    ..275 

'    tin    required    239 

"    to  sq   lumber   14 

Quarrying  granite 66,  426 

Quarter  round    200 

Quoins    149 


Racks  657 

Radiation,  how  to  est   289 

Radiators    287,   289,   413 

Rafters,  in  general  367 

"    lab      157 

"    mat'l    173,    174 

"    per  sq  27,  28 

Rail,  gas  pipe  110,  219 

Railing,   bronze   110 

'  "     iron    110,   624-699 

"    stair,  wrot  iron 692-694 

Railroad    buildings    314 

'    fences   219 

'     shops,    large    217 

"    to  Moscow   434 

Rails,    win    185 

Raising  roofs   356 

Range  work  499 


Eansome  bars    126 

Raymond   piles    44 

Heady  mixed  paint   269 

Ready  reckoners    ...350,  410,  411 
Rectangular   Engine   house    ..341 

Red   lead  269 

Red    rosin    256 

Refrigerators   33ti,  355,  661 

Registers    292 

"    stove    pipe 234 

Reinforced   arches    108 

'     Engine  house  343 

'     flreproofing    118 

«     roof      125 

'     sewers    104 

'     stacks   315 

Reinforced  Concrete: 

Aberthaw    Co 436 

Average  work  439 

Bank,    cost     452 

Beam  floors    445,  462,  466 

Card,  master 438,  447,  449 

Ceilings    461,   465 

Cold  storage,   cost    451,   452 

Columns    442,  449,  473 

Comparison  of  cost 

113-117,   302,   470,   472,   510-512 

Concrete   . . . 440-447,  456 

"    filler    466 

"    good  and  bad  436 

"    labor  on  456,  457,  475 

"    light  and   heavy    447 

Cornices     467 

Costs  of  work    472 

Covering    466 

Details  of  costs  476 

Domes    467 

Excavation     449 

.Expanded  metal,  unloading  475 
Factory,  cost  450,  451,   458,  475 

Ferro-concrete    Co 455 

Fireproof  bldgs,   cost   ..450-452 

Fire  station,  cost  450 

Floors,    cement    459 

(See  beam  and  slab.) 
Floors 

440-446,    448,    455,    456,    457 
473-476 

Forms,  smooth,  danger   ....475 
Foundations    ..440  441,  449,  471 

Frames,  setting   449 

Garage,  cost  450,  452 

Hennebique  system   470 

Hospital,    cost    451,   452 

Hotel,    cost    452 

Hy-Rib  system  458,  459 

Insurance,   saving  in    470 

Location  and   cost    439 

Lumber   ..440-445,  449,  474,  476 

Mfg.  bldg,  cost   451 

Maple  floor  448,  449 

Master  card    ......439,  447,  449 

Measure,  how  to 

437,  438,  456,  496  497 


Reinforced    Concrete : 

Mill,   cost    453 

Mill  construction    453 

Nails  and  wire 440-445,  476 

Of&ce  bldg,   cost   450-452 

Paneled  work  466 

Partitions    ...449,  460,  461,   466 

Paving    449 

Percentages     475 

Plank,    labor    449 

Plastering    460 

Proportions    439,  467 

Reinforced  dwellings    .453,   454 

Relative    prices    574 

Retaining   wall    449 

Roebling  system  465 

Roofs     449,    460,    464 

Shoring    460 

Silos    461 

Slab  floors 

444,   449,   459,   466,   471 

Sq  or  cu  ft  costs    449-453 

Stairs    449 

Steel,  setting    446,  457,  473,  475 

Storehouses,  cost 451 

Stores,    cost    450 

Testing   in    Tunis    470 

Thickness   512 

Time  of  erection .510 

Tooling    448,    449 

Trussed  Concrete   Steel  Co  458 

Unloading   473,  474 

Vaulted   ceilings    467 

Walls 

443,  449,  460,  461,  471,  473 

Warehouse,   cost      452,   453 

Relative  cost  of  brick  £  glass  39 

Repair  shops 326,  327,  328 

Repaving 97 

Reserve  of  ests  8 

Reservoir    625,    627 

Residences    36,   304,   305,    310 

Revolving  doors  33,  661 

R  I  W   277 

Rift  flooring   22,  372,  373 

Rising   prices    572-575 

Risk 8 

Rivets    213,   215,   216,   217,   402 

Rock  excavation    41,  109 

Rock  faced  stone   67 

Rods,  lightning   337 

Rolling  partitions  per  sq 25 

Roofing : 

canvas    525-527 

measurement    504,    593 

paints     263 

papers   246,  256,  257 

steel    243 

Roofs,   per  sq    27,   28,  29 

"    pitch  and  area 174,  430 

"    raising   356 

'    reinforced    125 

"    slate    28,    248 

"    tile   28,  254 


Rooms,  sizes  365 

Hope    233 

Rosedale  cement  cf  52 

Rosin    235 

Roundhouse,  see  Engine  house 

Rubber  base   299 

"    roofing   257 

"    tile   298 

Rubbing  down  paint    ...265,  272 

Rubble,  cost   11,  62,  63,  517 

"    dry    Ill 

"    lab     65 

'    masonry    109,   110 

"    measurement   61,  498 

"     mortar    62,    64 

"    quantities,  wt 61 

Ruberoid   per  sq    29,  247 

Ruud  heaters  661 

Rules,  for  radiation  289,  290 

S 

Sackett  board  136,  145 

Safes,    home    219 

"    large,  moving 220 

Safety  treads    221 

Sand  blasting   72,  478 

"    cranes   320,  335,  478 

"    finish,  plaster   136,  138 

"    for  brick  mortar  90 

"    for  concrete   49,  50,  51 

"    for  plaster  138 

"    houses    320 

"    screening    377 

Sanding,  paint   268 

Sandstone,  cost   72 

"    paving    101 

"     setting   66 

Sash  balances   166,  233 

"    centers     233 

"    cord ....228 

"    glazing  205,  206 

"    lifts,  locks    233 

"     prices    180,   181,   192-196 

"    pulleys     198 

"     sizes    352 

"     wts    ..182,   227,   228,   379,  433 

Scaffolding    179,  222,   487 

Scagliola  114 

Scales,  track   600 

Schedules    588-596 

Schools    37,    300 

"    detailed  cost   640 

"    per   pupil    638 

"    per  sq  and  cu  ft  638-643 

Screens,   fly    185,   371 

"     plaster    378 

Screws    233 

Scroll  work   370 

Sectional  sash  wts  228 

Septic  tanks    308,   309 

Setting  glass    207 

"    iron  and  steel 

214,  216-218,  446,  477 


Sewer  ditch 42 

Sewers,  brick   ..101,  102,  104,  105 

"    concrete    104,    426 

"    cost,   brick,   laid 

102,   104,   105,  111 
"    cost,  pipe,  laid  103,  104,  333 

"    labor     278 

"    pipe  alone    105,  281 

"    sheet  piling   42,  105 

"     size  trench  278 

Sheds,  lumber 320 

"     shelter 321 

Sheeting,   labor    156 

"    material  175,  369 

"    per   M    156 

'    per  sq  21,  26 

"    quantities   15 

"    timbers    110,   111 

Sheet  lead    285 

"     metal    593 

"     piling    42,   105,   491 

"     steel   218,  399 

Shelf  hardware    229 

Shellacs    264,  273 

Shelving,   labor    171 

"    material    318 

Shingles,  asbestos   128,  368 

"     dipping     379,    509 

"    kind  of   368 

"    labor  on 158 

"    life  of 368 

"    material    175 

"    nails     225.    368 

"     per  sq  26,  28 

"     sizes    349 

"     stains    ....269,    270,   273,   368 

"     tin    235,   242 

Shiplap,    general    369 

"    labor     156 

"    material    175 

"     per   sq    21,   26 

Shop  floors    337 

'     lanterns   per   If    29 

"    roofs,   reinforced   per  sq.125 
'    roofs,    wood,    per    sq    ...  29 

"    unit    cost    317 

Shops,  R.  R.,  etc.    . .  .316-344,  647 
(See  also  under  particu- 
lar building  required.) 

Shoring    492 

Shoved  brickwork 81 

Shovels    233 

Shrinkage   of   ice    321 

Shutters,  rolling  steel 219 

"    wrot  iron   219 

Sicilian   rock  asphalt    246 

Sideboards,    lab    « .  .170 

Sidewalk  lights   218 

Sidewalks    99,   100,   364 

Siding,  in  general 369 

"    lab    159 

'    material    176 

'    per  sq    26 


Siding,  size  348 

"    steel  and  tin 243 

Sienna  marble   484 

Signal  towers  314,  315 

Sills,   concrete    129 

"    stone    70,   345,    426 

"    wood    366 

Silos    535 

"    capacity  536,  537 

"    cement  block 539-541 

"    cost  per  ton   547 

"    details    545,   548 

"    forms  546,  547,  549 

"    labor   545 

"    reinforced  concrete  .543,  545 

"    roofs   550,  553 

"     sq  ft  costs   542,  548 

"    wood    550-552 

"     «    cost   551,  552 

Silvering   table 337 

Sinks    285 

Site  clearing  40 

Size  and  cost    630-632 

"    of  brick  80,  87,  95 

"     on   plaster    260 

Sizes,    rooms    365 

"    lumber    347-351 

"    millwork    351-353 

"    standard 345  and  on 

Sizing  joists   154 

"     (painter)     268 

Skylights    ..31,   207,  238,   239,   594 

Skyscrapers,  general   632,  633 

"    setting   steel    477 

"    values   632,  638 

Slate    blackboards    254 

"    cement   249 

"    hauling,   lap    253 

"    lab    249 

"    nails     252 

"     partitions    283 

"     per  sq    28,  29,  248,  249 

"     punching     250 

"    quantity,  size  252 

Slate,    quantity    251 

"     setting  partitions   280 

Slaughter  houses    305 

Sleepers  in  basement  per  sq  17,  18 

"     lab     154 

"    large  sizes   19 

Sliding  doors  31,  168 

"     door   hangers    228 

"    door  ladders  33 

"    door  locks   231 

Slope  of  earth   42 

"    of  stove  lining 63 

Smokejacks    343 

Smoothing  floors  by  machines  162 

Snow   guards    /.  .253 

Sod    110,    391 

Soil  pipe,  lab   279 

"     pipe,    prices    281 

Solder   .....235,  285 


Speaking    tubes    239 

Spikes    224 

1    boat     226 

Spindles,    cement    133 

"    wood   188 

Spreading   stone    60 

Sprinklers,  cost   303,  528-532 

Square 412 

Square  cost  of  sheeting,  ship- 
lap,   flooring,   plank,    etc.   21-26 
Square  of  tin  itemized   ..235,  236 

Sq  ft  cost  of  bi-ick   133 

"    costs,  general   629-643 

"    prices  of  bldgs 300-337 

"    valuation    634 

Sq  root    174 

Sq  system  of  estg  150 

Stables,   cost   305 

Stacking,   brick   86 

Stacks,  chimney,  brick 

83,  315,  506,  591,  611 
'    chimney,   reinforced    ....315 

"    chimney,   steel   316 

"    chimney,     steel,     taking 

down     222 

Staff    145 

Stain,    waterproof,    cement    .  .276 

Staining  sash   267 

"  wood  226,  264,  270,  272,  273 
Stair  railing,  wrot  iron  ..692-694 
Stairs,  concrete  ..1.09,  125,  497 

"     cost    32,  187,202,353 

"    how  to  build 373 

"    iron   221,  222 

"    labor,  wood   169 

Standard   sizes    in   general    ..345 

"    sizes,   lumber    345-351 

"    varnish   finish    270 

Standpipes    321,  647 

Staples  for  met   lath    137 

Stations,    RR    314 

Steam  hammers  334 

"     heat ....290 

"     piping    282 

"    piping,  lab  on  large  sizes  289 

Steel  and  iron,  cost  12 

Steel : 

beams     110 

cor  bars  for  curbing  ...105 

danger   of  changes    119 

general    210,    591 

girders,    posts,    bracing    110 

Kahn   system    125,   126 

painting    261,   265 

per  sq  ft  of  buildings    .215 

"    ribbon    228 

"    setting  110,  216,  477 

"    sheet,  lab   218 

'     siding     243 

"    stack,    taking    down    . .  .222 

"    studs    221 

Steps,    concrete    (with    table 

figures)    57,   109,   125 


Steps,    stone    70,   109 

Stevenson   doors    355 

Stiles  and  rails,  win  185 

Stippling  paint    268 

Stirrups   19,  220,  221 

Stock   boards    349 

Stone,  concrete  50,  51 

"    crusher 56,  426 

"    lettering    71 

"    lining   of   slopes    63,   64 

"    measurement 

67,   73,   498,   499,   591 

"    paving    97 

'    quantity    67 

"    sills,  steps,  coping  ..70,  345 

'    spreading    60 

"    wall,    cost    517 

Stools,  win  185,  200 

Stoops  185,  200 

Storage  cellar  544 

Store  and  office   321 

"    cost     32 

"    fronts  lab   165,  507 

"    millwork 183 

Storehouse    318,   329,   333 

Storerooms,  lab   171 

Stores  and  flats   36,  304 

Storm   sash    181 

Stove  pipe  fittings   234 

Street-car  barns    344 

Studs,  general   367 

"    lab    157 

"    mat'l     172 

"    metal    222 

"     per   sq    24,   25 

"    steel    221 

Subbids   7 

Surfacing  concrete  477,  478 

Surfacing  concrete  floors  60,   121 

"    wood  floors  188 

Surf  butts   230,  231 

System  of  valuation   597-599 


Table  of  bm    410,  411 

"    nails   required    224 

"     plaster  135,  136,  140 

1     wages    673-684 

Tablets,  bronze  and  iron 

685-688,   690,   691,    695 

Tanks   218,  397,  398,  595,  600 

'    and   towers    616-624 

"    concrete    553,    554 

Tapestry   brick    515 

Tar    246 

"    coal     337 

"     felt    .23,  426,  257 

Team,    traveling    64 

Telegraph    desk    187 

Telford   110 

Tenements    304 

Terra  cotta    88,   113 

Terrazo  floors  295 


Thickness  of  walls  ...79,  82,  363 

Thimbles,  partition   234 

Thresholds   184= 

Ties,  cross   562 

Tile  arches    483 

"    building    82 

'*    facts   about,   floor    297 

"    glass,  roofing   255 

"    Kahn    125 

'    kind,   size,   floor    ...295,   296 

"    per  sq  roofing 28,  29 

'    roofing   254,  255 

"    wainscoting  296 

Timber  for  sheathing    109 

"    in  place  110,  156 

Time  on  paint 266 

Tin   lined   pipe,   covered   288 

"    per  sq   28,   29 

"    prices   235 

'    quality     376 

"    shingles     ...242 

"    siding     377 

"    wts    236 

Tinned   doors    128,   610 

Tons  2000  or  2240   Ibs    213 

Tools  for  RR  shops   323-337 

Towers : 

"     slate .'...250 

"    steel 616-618 

"    style    370 

"    tile     256 

"     wood    155,  619-624 

Tracery    71 

Track    332,  337,  596 

"     brass    233 

"     scales    600 

Trade  rules   487,  490 

Transfer  pit   ...333,  336,  342,  610 

"    tables    333,  336 

Translucent  fabric   207 

Transom    cost    31,    181,    139 

"    lifts    232 

Treads,   safety    221 

Trees  40,  658 

Trestles,    lab    155 

Trimmings,    masonry    591 

Trusses,  cost   29,  648-652 

"    lab    152 

"    steel,  wt   215,  216,  598 

Tubs    280,   285 

Turnstiles 336 

Turntables   .333,  344,  596,  600-604 

U 

Umbrella  sheds  30,  609 

Underpinning    81 

"Uniform  contract"   7 

Unloading  brick    100,  356 

"    earth,      lumber,      sand, 

slate,   stone   355,   356,   473 

Upholstery  shop   333 

Urinals     283 

Urns,  galv  i 241 


Vacuum    cleaners    662-666 

Valleys   31,  376 

Valuation  (see  Physical  Val)  634 

"     system   597 

Values    582 

Valves  283,  287 

Variations  in   estimates    4 

Varnishes    261 

"    outside 264 

"    removers   261,  267 

"     wt 264 

Vases,  lawn  ..0 133 

Vats 595,  600 

Vault    doors    219 

Vaults,  fireproof  308,  507 

Veneered  houses  96,  305,  519 

Venetian  blinds  184 

Ventilation   308,  374 

Ventilator     238 

Vent  pipes    280 

Viaduct   paving    106 

Voids  51,  56 

W 

Wages,    plumbers'    281 

"    tables,  average  412 

"    "    daily     684 

"     "    fractional    673 

"     "     hourly    674-681 

"     "    weekly    682-683 

Wagon  gates 30 

Wainscoting,  Artificial  marble  143 

"    lab,  wood   167 

"    mahogany 186 

"    mat'l   179 

"    metal    242 

"     paneled    253 

"     per  sq    32 

«    plaster   375,  378 

Walks  59,  100,  110,  364 

Wall   coping    88 

"     paper    272 

Walls,  per  sq,  brick  .133,  517,  520 
"     per  sq,  wood  ....24,  521,  522 

"     plugs,  metal 158,  223 

"    thickness    363 

"    9-in  short  cut 76 

"    tile     298 

Wardrobe  hooks 233 

Warehouses    30,    36,    301 

Washers,    cast    227 

Washing  fronts    71,  96 

Waste   pipes    280 

Water  and  excavation 41 

"    closets    283 

"    for  brick  90 

"    for  concrete  65 

"    for  plaster  143 

"    pipe,  lab  279 

"     pipe    laid  Ill,  333,  337 

"    pipe,  mat'l  .281  282,  533,  534 


Waterproofing  110,  147 

Waterproof  stain   276 

Water  pumping   105,  107 

"    table   57 

"    tank 333,  600 

Waxing 273,   380 

Wear  and  tear  of  buildings  .311 

(See  Depreciation) 
Weight,  brass,   copper,  lead   .213 

"    c  i  cols    211,  212 

"    cement    53,  407 

"    concrete  140  Ibs  to  cf 

"    galv  sheets  403,  404 

"    glass  207 

"    machine   bolts    400 

"    paint    263 

'    partitions,    plaster    144 

"    steel    on    buildings     per 

sq  ft   215 

"    steel  trusses 215 

"    substances    406-408 

"     wrot  iron 213,  399 

Wells    614-616 

Wheelbarrows    233 

Wheeling 42 

Wheel  shops   328 

White  cement  478 

White  lead  4 269 

Wickets  for  stationary  win 

218,  697-699 

Windmills    337 

Windows, 

"     "Chicago"     192-196 

"     cost    ....31,  32,  180,  181,  182 

"    dormer   29,  365 

"    extras     196 

"     fireproof    243,    479-483 

"    fireproof,  cost   192,  483 

"    frames    181-183,   197 

"    general    370 

"    odd 196 

"    sizes    352 

"    wt    182,   408 

Wire,   barbed    229 

"     panels    229 

"    rope  233 

Wood  fences  30 

Wrecking    356,   611 

Wrot  iron  grilles 

689,  690,,  695,  697,  699 

"    iron  newels   693 

"    iron    pipe 693 

"    iron  pipe  laid  333 

"    iron    prices    220 

"    iron  stair  rails  692  693 

Wyckoff    covering    288 


Y.  M.  C.  A.  buildings,  cost   ..', 


Zinc 


.238 


OUR  HOME  CITY 


IS  to  be  a  Central  or  Western  Neb.  Model  City  to  begin 
with  1000  families,  or  5000  people.  Each  family  is  to  put 
up  a  building.  The  total  investment  in  buildings  and 
municipal  work  will  be  at  least  $2,000,000.00  in  a  place  of 
such  size.  The  rise  in  the  land  values  will  amount  to  more 
than  this  sum,  on  the  basis  of  the  relative  values  of  land  and 
improvements  in  all  established  towns  and  cities. 

There  will  be  at  least  1000  buildings  erected  as  a  begin- 
ning. We  require  people  in  all  lines  of  business  for  such 
a  city,  but  more  especially  men  connected  with  building  and 
building  material. 

There  will  be  no  land  speculation.  Lots  will  be  owned 
by  the  city  only,  and  leases  given  for  99  years.  Thus,  there 
will  be  no  money  required  to  secure  a  site  for  business  or 
home,  but  a  monthly  payment  to  the  city  only.  Liquor  will 
not  be  sold.  A  model  plan  has  been  made  for  the  streets, 
parks,  etc.,  and  the  best  building  code  adopted.  No  fran- 
chises will  be  granted,  but  the  city  only  will  own  and  operate 
water-works,  gas-works,  electric  light  plant,  etc. 

The  altitude  will  be  at  least  1800  feet  above  sea  level, 
and  from  border  to  border  Nebraska  is  a  healthy  state.  We 
shall  be  located  in  the  best  part  of  it.  The  most  careful 
provision  has  been  made  for  health,  education,  amusements, 
and  a  just  taxing  system. 

No  move  will  be  made  until  1000  families  are  secured. 
This  makes  a  successful  city  certain,  and  safeguards  every- 
body. 

With  nothing  to  pay  for  a  lot,  a  home  may  be  had  for  a 
fewr  hundred  dollars,  to  as  high  as  desired. 

In  order  to  see  what  we  shall  do  for  a  living,  go  to  a 
city  of  5000  and  look  around  you.  It  is  already  built,  but  we 
shall  have  to  build  ours. 

I  wish  to  hear  from  all  who  want  a  new  opportunity  under 
better  environments  than  are  common. 

Address 

WILLIAM  ARTHUR, 

4160  Davenport  St.,  OMAHA,  NEB. 


SOME  USEFUL  BOOKS 

Selected  from  the  List  of  Live  Up-to-date  Work 

Published  and  For  Sale  By 
DAVID  WILLIAMS  COMPANY 

Publishers  of 

The  Building  Age 

239  WEST  3pTH  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


BUILDING    CONSTRUCTION    AND    SUPER- 
INTENDENCE, CARPENTRY, 
JOINERY,  ETC. 

Kidder's    Building    and    Construction    and    Superinten- 
dence.— Size  of  volumes,  7x9  3-4  ins.   Sold  separately. 

Part    i — Mason's    Work.      Ninth    Edition;    Revised    and 
Enlarged  by  Thomas  Nolan.     992  pages;  628  illustra- 
tions.    Cloth  bound.  Price,  $6.00 
Treats    broadly    on    everything    comprised    under    the 
heads    of    Foundations    on    Firm    Soils;    Foundations    on 
Compressible   Soils;     Masonry    Footings  and   Foundation 
Walls;  Shoring  and  Underpinning;    Limes,    Cements    and 
Mortars     Building     Stones;     Cut-stonework;     Brick     and 
Brickwork;    Architectural    Terra    Cotta;    Fireproofing    of 
Buildings;    Concrete   and    Reinforced    Concrete    Construc- 
tion;   Iron   and    Steel    Supports    for    Masonwork-Skeleton 
Construction;  Lathing  and  Plastering;  Specifications. 

Special  attention  is  given  to  fireproofing  and  concrete, 
both  reinforced  and  plain.  Foundations  has  received 
careful  consideration,  and  many  examples  of  the  latest 
and  most  approved  work  in  recent  structures  on  difficult 
soils  are  shown. 

Part  2 — Carpenter's  Work.     Seventh   Edition;  544  pages; 
537  illustrations;  14  tables.     Cloth  bound,  Price,  $4.00. 
This  work  is  much  more  than  a  treatise  on  carpentry. 
It  covers  the  work  and  manipulation  of  materials,  in  con- 
nection with  any  character  of  construction  that  could  be 
included   in   a   set   of   carpenter's    specifications,   including 
interior    trim    and    equipment,    light    and    heavy    framing, 
etc.,   all  well   illustrated. 


Part  3— Trussed    Roofs    and    Roof    Trusses..     By    F.  E. 

Kidder.    Second  edition.    300  pages;  306  illustrations. 

Cloth  bound.  Price,  $3.00 

This  work  is  designed  more  particularly  for  the  use  of 
architects.  It  is  therefore  not  so  well  suited  to  the  re- 
quirements of  builders  and  carpenters  as  the  author's 
"Strength  of  Beams,  Floors  and  Roofs,"  but  it  describes 
plainly  nearly  every  type  of  roof  construction  commonly 
met  with  in  buildings, and  points,  out  the  advantages  of 
the  different  types  of  wooden  and  steel  trusses  for  differ- 
ent spans  and  building  requirements.  It  explains  the 
process  of  computing  the  loads,  drawing  the  stress  dia- 
gram and  proportioning  the  members  and  points  to  the 
stresses.  The  .mechanical  principles  are  clearly  set  forth 
and  the  method  of  obtaining  the  stresses. 

Kidder's    Strength    of    Beams,    Floors    and    Roofs. — 230 

pages.  Size,  51-2x8  ins.;  164  engravings;  21  tables 
and  diagrams.  Cloth  bound.  Price,  $2.00 

It  explains  the  mechanical  principles  of  all  ordinary 
types  of  wooden  trusses,  and  the  methods  of  computing 
the  stresses  and  proportioning  the  members. 

Gives  new  light  on  making  and  estimating  the  strength 
of  truss  joints. 

Illustrates  a  variety  of  types  of  approved  wooden 
trusses. 

Points  out  common  mistakes  in  designing  which  often 
result  disastrously. 

Dustman's  Book  of  Plans  and  Building  Construction. — 
238  pages.  Size,  9  x  13  ins.  Oblong.  Bound  in 
cloth.  Price,  $2.00. 

A  practical  treatment  of  all  phases  of  construction,  with 
many  tables  and  diagrams,  and  including  comprehensive 
articles  on  estimating  time,  labor  and  material,  specifica- 
tion writing  and  plan  reading. 

There  is  also  given  an  excellent  collection  of  designs 
of  attractive  cottages  and  double  houses  of  moderate 
cost,  with  exterior  views,  floor  plans  and  details. 

Building     Superintendence. — By     Edward     Nichols.       200 
pages.  Size,  63-4  x  93-4  ins.    Cloth  bound.  Price,  $1.50 
This  is  a  working  guide  to  the  requirements  of  modern 
American   building   practice   and   the   systematic   supervi- 
sion of  building  operations. 

The  Architects'  and  Builders'  Pocket  Book.— The  Fif- 
teenth Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged.  1700  pages; 
1000  engravings;  morocco  binding.  Price,  $5.00. 


In  the  author's  own  words,  it  is  "a  general  index  to  the 
many  lines  of  work,  methods,  materials  and  manufactured 
products  entering  into  the  planning,  construction  and  equip- 
ment of  buildings." 

A  modern  construction  handbook,  indispensable  to  the 
professional  man  and  the  student  of  to-day. 

CONTENTS: — Terms  Used  in  Mechanics;  Foundations  and 
Spread  Footings;  Masonry  Walls  and  Footings— Cement  and 
Concrete;  Retaining  Walls— Vault  Walls;  Strength  of  Brick 
and  Stone  Masonryand  Concrete;  Composition  and  Resolution  of 
Forces — Centre  of  Gravity;  Stability  of  Piers  and  Buttresses;  The 
Stability  of  Arches;  Bending  Moments  and  Supporting  Forces; 
Moments  of  Inertia  and  Resistance.  Radius  of  Gyration. 
Dimensions  and  Properties  of  Structural  Shapes;  Resistance  to 
Tension— Physical  Properties  of  Iron  and  Steel;  Resistance 
to  Shearing— Riveted  Joints — Proportions  of  Cast-iron  and 
Steel  Bearing-Plates  and  for  Brackets  on  Cast-iron  Columns; 
Strength  of  Posts,  Struts  and  Columns.  Standard  Connec- 
tions for  Steel  Beams;  Stiffness'  and  Deflection  of  Beams; 
Strength  and  Stiffness  of  Continuous  Girders;  Riveted  Steel- 
Plate  and  Box  Girders;  Mill  and  Warehouse  Construction;  Fire- 
proofing  of  Buildings;  Reinforced  Concrete;  Roof-Trusses  — 
Types  of  Wooden  and  Steel  Trusses;  Stresses  in  Roof -Trusses; 
Proportioning  Members  of  Roof-Trusses  and  Details  of  Joints; 
Wind  Stresses  and  Bracing  in  Towers  and  High  Buildings; 
Heat,  Fuel,  Water,  Steam  and  Air;  Drying  by  Steam;  Systems 
of  Piping  for  Steam  Heating;  Steampipe  Fittings  and  Valves; 
Rules  for  Proportioning  Radiating  Surface;  Hot-Water  Heat- 
ing; Furnace  Heating;  Specifications  for  Heating  Apparatus; 
Tables  of  Hot  Air  Stacks,  Registers,  Steam  Piping,  etc.;  Smoke 
Prevention;  Ventilation;  Chimneys;  Hydraulics;  Private  Water 
Supply,  Pumps,  Windmills  etc.;  Fire  Streams;  Construction  of 
Cylindrical  Wooden  Tanks;  Capacity  of  Tanks;  Plumbing  Ma- 
terials and  Details;  Plunge-Baths;  Illuminating-Gas;  Piping  a 
House  for  Gas;  Notes  on  Lighting  and  Illumination;  Electric- 
ity; Electric  Lighting  and  Wiring;  Specific  Weights  and  Grav- 
ities of  Substances;  Wire  and  Sheet  Metal  Gauges;  Weights  of 
Wrought  Iron,  Steel,  Copper  and  Brass  Sheets;  Weight  of 
Lead,  Copper  and  Brass;  Size,  Weight  and  Kinds  of  Smooth 
Steel  Wire;  Weights  and  Areas  of  Round  and  Square  Bars; 
Weights  of  Flat-rolled  Steel  Bars;  Data  for  Estimating  Weight 
of  Cast  Iron,  Wrought  Iron  and  Steel;  Screws  and  Expansion 
Bolts;  Stonework;  Bricks  and  Brickwork;  Lime;  Sand  and 
Gravel;  Lathing  and  Plastering;  Lumber  and  Carpenters' Work; 
Paint  and  Varnish;  Glass  Price  Lists;  Galvanized  Iron;  Floor 
and  Wall  Tiling;  Mineral  Wool;  Estimating  the  Cost  of  Struc- 
tural Steel;  Standard  Steel  Classifications;  Cost  of  Buildings  per 
Cubic  Foot;  Cost  of  Buildings  per  Square  Foot;  Stairs;  Sash 


Weights;  Capacity  of  Churches,  Theatres  and  Opera-Houses; 
Elevators;  Mail  Chutes;  Refrigerators;  Tower  Clocks;  The 
Classical  Orders;  Lightning  Conductors;  Efflorescence  of 
Brickwork;  Force  of  the  Wind;  Horse-Power,  Pulleys,  Gears, 
Belting  and  Shafting;  Chain  Blocks. 

Martin's  Details  of  Building  Construction.  —  Containing 
33  quarto  plates  with  sectional  views,  working  details  and 
full  memoranda  for  the  construction  of  doors,  windows, 
casements,  gutters,  cornices,  and  other  finish.  Large 
quarto.  Cloth.  Price,  $2.00. 

DESIGNS    FOR    HOUSES,    BUNGALOWS,    CHURCHES, 
STORES,   SCHOOLS,   BARNS,   ETC. 

The  following  books  afford  invaluable  suggestion  on  the 
design  and  construction  of  modern  dwellings,  etc.,  showing 
views  and  plans  of  successful  structures  that  have  been  de- 
signed and  built  by  able,  practicing  architects. 

No  class  of  books  give  more  for  so  little,  or  serve  so  many 
useful  purposes  to  builders  and  those  intending  to  build. 

The  Carpentry  and  Building  Series  of  Designs,  compris- 
ing the  six  following  volumes,  are  very  complete,  giving 
perspectives,  elevations,  floors,  plans  and  details  of  construc- 
tion drawn  to  scale.  Each  of  the  volumes  of  this  series  con- 
tains 200  or  more  pages  on  fine  plate  paper.  The  size  of  pages 
is  9x13  inches,  oblong.  Cloth  bound.  Price,  $1.50  each. 
Per  set,  Delivered,  $7.50. 
No.  i. — Cottage  Designs  with  Constructive  Details. — 

Containing  25  designs  of  simple  cottages  originally  costing 

from  $600  to  $1500. 
No.    2. — Low-Cost    Houses    with    Constructive    Details.— 

Containing  upward    of    25    designs    of    cottages    costing 

originally  from   $750  to   $2500. 
No.    3. — Modern    Dwelling   with   Constructive   Details. — 

Containing  plans   costing    approximately  from    $2800   to 

$7000. 
No.    4.  —  Suburban    Homes    with    Constructive   Details.  — 

Containing  plans  costing  approximately  from    $5000    to 

$20,000. 

No.  5. — Cement  Houses  and  Private  Garages  with  Con- 
structive Details.  —  Containing  about  30  designs  of  artistic 

structures.      Approximate   cost  of    house  from  $2500  to 

$10,000. 
No.  6.  — Bungalows  with  Constructive  Details.  —  Containing 

about  30  designs  of  attractive  structures  erected  in  various 

sections  of  the   country,  at  costs   ranging   from  $1000  to 

$15,000. 


Two-Family  and  Twin  Houses. — Size  8x9  1-2  ins.  127 
pages.  Bound  in  cloth  and  boards.  Price,  $2.00. 

An  attractive  book,  illustrating  some  of  the  latest  and 
best  work  of  architects  in  various  sections. 

Prepared  to  meet  the  demand  for  improved  house  ac- 
commodations on  comparatively  small  lot  areas.  Con- 
tains sixty  designs,  including  fl"6or  plans,  with  descrip- 
tions covering  all  the  latest  improvements  in  sanitation, 
heating,  lighting,  etc.,  also  two  detailed  specifications. 

California    Bungalow    Homes.  — By  Henry  Menken.     Third 
Edition,  Revised  and  Enlarged.    128  pages.    Size,  71-2x11 
ins.     Oblong.     Heavy  paper.     Price,  .50. 
This  book  contains  87  different  floor  plans  of  bunga- 
lows and  cottages,  suitable  for  any  climate;  with  photo- 
graphic views   of  exteriors,   interiors,   cozy  corners,  .man- 
tels, fireplaces,  buffets,  furniture,  etc.     They  have  all  been 
built    at   prices    ranging    from   $1000   to   $4500.      Working 
plans  and  specifications  are  obtainable  at  a  nominal  price. 

The  Bungalow  Book.— By  H.  L.  Wilson.     Fifth  Edition. 

159  pages.    Size  7  1-2  x  10  1-2  ins.    Attractively  bound 

in  cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 

The  117  different  floor  plans  shown  in  this  volume,  with 

photographic   views   and    sketches    of   exteriors,    interiors, 

cozy  corners,  etc.,  should  enable  the  intending  builder  to 

make    a    satisfactory    selection.      The    bungalows    listed 

range  in  cost  of  construction  from  about  $1000  to  $4500. 

Working  plans  and  specifications  of  any  of  these  may  be 

procured  at  a  nominal  price. 

Cement  Houses  and    How  to    Build    Them. — With  per- 
spective views   and   floor  plans   of  77   cement  plaster 
and  concrete-block  houses.     158  pages.     Size,  8  x  10 
ins.     Substantially  bound  in  cloth.         Price,  $1.00. 
Contains    illustrated    details    of     cement     construction, 
standard>  specifications  for  cement,  standard  specifications 
for     concrete     blocks,     general     information      concerning 
waterproofing,    coloring,    aggregates,     mixtures,     paving, 
reinforcing,    foundations,    walls,    steps,    sewer    pipes    tile, 
chimneys,   floors,   porches,   use   of   concrete   on   the   farm, 
etc. 

Concrete  Block  Houses. — B«y  Henry  Wittekind.     A  port- 
folio of  27  designs.     Size,  7  1-4  x  10  3-4  ins.     $1.00. 
With    perspective   views   and    floor   plans    of   attractive 
houses  of  concrete  block  and  concrete  block  and  stucco, 
ranging  in  cost  of  construction  from  $1200  to  $5400.     The 


working  plans  and  specifications  may  be  bought  at  a  nomi- 
nal figure.  They  will  be  furnished  to  accommodate  any 
size  block. 

Churches  and  Chapels.— By  F.  E.  Kidder.  Third  edition. 
Revised;  with  120  illustrations  in  the  text  and  67  full- 
page  plates.  Oblong  volume.  Size,  7  x  10  1-2  ins. 
Substantially  bound  in  cloth.  Price,  $3.00. 

Goes  fully  into  modern  church  construction,  equipment 
and  planning  and  is  much  the  most  exhaustive  and  use- 
ful work  published  for  those  who  are  seeking  suggestion 
preparatory  to  church  building. 

School  Architecture. — By  Edmund   M.   Wheelwright,   350 
pages;  250  illustrations.     Cloth  bound.     Price,  $5.00. 
A  general  treatise  for  the  use  of  architects  and  others. 
All  details  of  school  construction  are  fully  covered,  and 
examples  are  presented  of  the  most  practically  suggestive 
schools  in  the  United  States,  Germany,  Austria,  Switzer- 
land, England  and  France. 

The  School  House;     Its    Heating    and    Ventilation.— By 

Joseph  A.  Moore,  Inspector  of  School  Buildings 
State  of  Massachusetts.  204  pages.  Size,  6x9  1-2 
ins.  Illustrated.  Cloth.  Price,  $2.00. 

This  book,  written  by  an  authority  of  twenty  years'  ex- 
perience, contains,  first  a  section  of  72  pages  given  to 
designs  and  descriptions  of  successful  school  houses,  with 
44  plates  of  floor  plans. 

Radford's    Stores   and    Flat   Buildings. — 82   pages.      Size, 

8  x    ii   ins.     Cloth  bound.  Price,  $1.00. 

Contains  57  designs  of  small  bank  buildings,  stores, 
double  or  twin  houses;  two,  four,  six  and  nine-family  flat 
buildings,  constructed  of  stone,  brick,  cement  and  wood. 

Plank  Frame  Barn  Construction. — By  John  L.   Shawver. 

35  pages.     Size,  5  1-2x7  3-4  ins-     Cloth.    50  cents. 
Describes  the  best  methods  of  construction  and  fram- 
ing for  this   economical  and  popular  system,  with   many 
illustrations. 

Twentieth    Century   Practical   Barn    Plans. — By   William 
A.   Radford.      166  pages;   250  illustrations  and  work- 
ing diagrams.     Size,  8  x  10  1-2  ins.     Cloth.     $1.00. 
A  collection  of  economical  and  practical  plans  of  out- 
buildings,   stock    sheds,    etc.,    gathered    from    successful 
builders   and   architects   in   many  different   States  and   in 
Canada. 


PLAIN     AND     REINFORCED     CONCRETE, 
CEMENTS,  MORTARS,  ETC. 

Treatise  on  Concrete,  Plain  and  Reinforced,  Materials, 
Construction  and  Design  of  Concrete  and  Rein- 
forced Concrete. — New  Edition.  By  F.  W.  Taylor 
and  S.  E.  Thompson.  807  pages;  237  figures.  Cloth 
bound.  Price,  $5.00. 

Designed  for  the  use  of  architects  and  engineers. 
Treats  the  manipulation  and  uses  of  concrete  for  con- 
structive and  engineering  purposes.  Special  chapter  on 
concrete  building  construction,  page  608  to  636. 

Concrete    and     Reinforced    Concrete    Construction. — By 

Homer    A.    Reid.      906    pages;    715    illustrations;    70 
tables.     Cloth.  Price,  $5.00. 

The  largest  work  on  the  subject — modern  and  author- 
itative in  every  respect.  Contains  a  special  chapter  on 
building  construction,  pages  465  to  572.  Among  the  con- 
tents are  200  working  drawings  of  buildings  and  founda- 
tions, including  shops,  roundhouses,  etc.,  with  descrip- 
tions. 

Reinforced  Concrete. — A  treatise  on  Cement,  Concrete 
and  Concrete  Steel  and  their  Application  to  Modern 
Structural  Work.  By  Walter  L.  Webb,  C.  E.,  and 
W.  H.  Gibson.  129  pages;  57  illustrations.  Substan- 
tially bound  in  cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 

This  book  is  designed  for  the  architect,  builder,  con- 
tractor and  engineer,  who  will  find  it  to  contain  a  concise 
treatment  on  the  manipulation  and  uses  of  reinforced  con- 
crete, based  on  recent  construction  work,  with  descrip- 
tions and  illustrations  of  typical  practice.  The  contents 
are  arranged  in  five  divisions,  as  follows:  Cement  and 
Cement  Testing;  Mixing  and  Measuring  Concrete;  De- 
positing and  Finishing  Concrete;  General  Theory  of 
Flexure  in  Reinforced  Concrete;  Structural  Applications. 

Cement  and  Concrete. — By  L.   C.  Sabin.     504  pages;   161 

tables  of  tests.     Cloth.  Price,  $5.00. 

A  treatise  designed  especially  for  American  engineers, 
covering  the  manufacture,  properties  and  testing  of  ce- 
ment, and  the  preparation  and  use  of  cement  mortars 
and  concretes.  Special  attention  is  given  to  the  costs  of 
cement  and  concrete  for  different  uses  and  under  various 
conditions. 


Hand-Book  for  Superintendents  of  Construction,  Archi- 
tects, Buildefs  and  Building  Inspectors. — By  H.  G. 
Richey.  742  pages;  357  figures.  Morocco.  $4.00. 

Treats  all  divisions  of  modern  constructive  practice,  in- 
cluding extended  sections  on  stone  masonary,  brickwork, 
concrete  and  fireproofing  construction,  terra  cotta,  lath- 
ing, plastering,  lime,  cement,  sand,  mortar,  etc. 

Cost  Data.— By  H.  P.  Gillette.  Second  Edition.  1900 
pages.  Illustrated.  Morocco  binding.  Price,  $5.00. 

Contains  representative  data  on  costs  of  concrete  and 
concrete  steel  structures  and  the  best  methods  of  con- 
struction. Every  detail  of  contract  work  has  been  des- 
cribed and  recorded,  and  the  cost  of  labor  and  materials 
carefully  noted. 

Concrete  Construction,  Methods  and  Cost. — By  H.  P. 
Gillette  and  C.  S.  Hill.  700  pages;  306  illnstrations. 
Cloth  bound.  Size,  6x9  ins.  Price,  $5.00. 

A  valuable  aid  in  estimating  concrete  work  of  all  kinds. 
The  various  designs  of  forms  and  centers  and  the  layout 
of^  plant  for  mixing,  conveying  and  placing  concrete  re- 
ceive the  most  complete  treatment  ever"  given  these  im- 
portant subjects. 

Modern  Cement  Sidewalk  Construction. — By  C.  Palliser. 
64  pages.  Cloth.  Price,  50  cents. 

Full  directions  for  testing  and  mixing  materials;  laying 
finishing,  seasoning  and  coloring  sidewalks,  curbs  and 
gutters. 

Cement  Workers'  Hand-Book.— By  W.  H.  Baker.  98 
pages.  Cloth  Price,  50  cents. 

A  handy  pocket  guide  to  the  mixing  and  handling  of 
cements,  mortars  and  concretes  for  building  and  other 
purposes — a  book  for  the  workman,  covering  more  than 
fifty  of  the  most  important  subjects  on  cement  and  its 
uses  in  construction. 

Instructions  to  Inspectors  on  Reinforced  Concrete  Con- 
struction and  Concrete  Data. — By  G.  P.  Carver.  124 
pages.  Pamphlet.  Pocket  size.  Price,  50  cents. 

A  book  of  important  data  relating  to  the  best  forms  of 
construction  and  the  proportioning,  mixing  and  compact- 
ing of  materials. 


How  to  Use  Portland  Cement. — By  S.  S.  Newberry.     29 

pages.     Pamphlet.  Price,  50  cents. 

A  practical  treatise  on  the  testing  and  uses  of  Portland 
cement,  prepared  chiefly  for  contractors  and  masons. 

Practical    Concrete   Block   Making. — By    C.    Palliser.     75 

pages.  Cloth,  Price,  50  cents. 

Everything  from  making  of  molds  and  selection  of 
material  to  the  laying  of  the  seasoned  block  is  simply  ex- 
plained. 

Concretes,    Cements,    Mortars,    Plasters    and    Stuccoes; 
How  to   Make   and   How  to   Use  Them. — By   F.   T. 

Hodgson.     520  pages;  150  illustrations.     Substantially 
bound  in  cloth.  Price,  $1.50. 

An  extensive  compilation  of  valuable  material,  cover- 
ing recent  methods  and  improvements  in  the  mixing,  pro- 
portioning and  application  of  plaster,  mortar,  stucco  and 
cement.  Contains  a  considerable  amount  of  matter  on 
reinforced  concrete  work.  A  serviceable  handbook  for 
the  builder. 

Practical  Stone  Masonry  Self-Taught.— By  F.  T.  Hodg- 
son. 300  pages;  180  illustrations.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 
An  invaluable  book  for  the  operative  mason,  treating 
methods  of  building  walls  in  rustic  rubble,  ashler  square, 
uncoursed,  random  coursed,  irregular  corners,  snecked 
and  square  rubble,  polygonal  ragwork,  and  other  styles 
of  masonry  and  stone-cutting  are  explained  and  illus- 
trated. Finished  stones,  such  as  window  sills,  window 
heads,  coping,  arch  stones,  keystones,  and  similar  dress- 
ings, are  described  and  illustrated.  Stone  arches  and 
joints  are  described  and  illustrated,  with  ample  instruc- 
tions for  working  them. 

Masonry  Construction. — By    A.    E.    Phillips    and    A.    T. 
Byrne.  145  pages;  44  illustrations.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 
A  handbook  of  practical  information  for  stonemasons, 
stonecutters,    bricklayers,    cement   and    concrete    workers, 
etc.,  describing  the  various  kinds  of  building  stone;  man- 
ufacture of  brick,   cement  and  mortar;   methods  of   test; 
foundation    work,    pile-driving;    dam    and    wall    construc- 
tion;  arch  and   bridge   construction;   reinforced   concrete, 
etc. 

Practical   Bricklaying   Self-Taught. — By   F.   T.    Hodgson. 

277  pages;  330  illustrations.     Cloth.         Price,  $1.00. 
This  book  is  one  of  the  latest  on  the  subject,  treating 
bricklaying   in    such   a    way    as    will    enable    the   attentive 


student  to  execute  almost  any  kind  of  practical  and  artis- 
tic work.  Covers  all  important  subjects,  such  and  bond, 
ornamental  brickwork,  damp  courses,  quality  of  brick- 
work, forming1  of  pilasters,  quoins,  skew  arches,  splay 
work,  brick  joints,  chimneys,  fireplaces,  flues,  brick  pav- 
ings, etc. 

DRAWING:       ARCHITECTURAL,       MECHANICAL 
AND  STRUCTURAL. 

Architectural  Drawing. — By  C.  F.  Edminster.  Size,  7x9 
inches.  242  pages,  including  105  full-page  plates. 
Cloth  bound.  Price,  $2.00. 

Presenting  a  practical  and  complete  course  in  the  ele- 
ments of  architectural  drawing,  designed  to  meet  the  re- 
quirements of  tradesmen,  draftsmen  and  students. 

Practical   Lessons  in  Architectural  Drawing. — By  W.   B. 
Tuthill.     61  pages  n  1-2  x  7  1-4  inches.     33  full  page 
plates  and  33  illustrations.         Cloth.       Price,  $2.50. 
This  work  contains  scale  drawings  of  plans,  elevations,. 

sections  and  details  of  frame,  brick  and  stone  buildings, 

with  full  descriptions  and  specifications. 

A  Manual  of  Mechanical  Drawing. — By  P.  D.  Johnston. 

224  pages;    134  illustrations;   69   full-page   plates   and 

2  folding  plates.     Cloth  bound.     Size,  91-4x7   1-4 

inches.     (Oblong.)  Price,  $2.00. 

This   work  f  is   widely  known   and   recommended   for   its 

simple  and  comprehensive  treatment  of  the  subject. 

Structural  Drawing. — By  C.  F.  Edminster.  Size,  7x9 
ins.  153  pages,  including  71  full-page  plates.  Cloth 
bound.  Price,  $2.50. 

An  important  aid  to  the  student  who  aims  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  structural 
drafting,  with  a  well-graded  course  of  instruction  as  ap- 
plied to  the  drawing  of  standard  forms,  columns,  girders, 
trusses  and  framing  details.  The  subject  matter  and 
scope  of  the  chapters  are  as  follows: 

Blue-Print  Making. — 28  pages.     Paper.     Price,  25   cents. 

Embracing  directions  for  constructing  the  printing 
frame,  preparing  the  paper,  and  making  prints  of  various 
kinds. 

How  to  Read  Plans. — 104  pages;  81  figures  and  a  complete 

set  of  plans  for  a  frame  cottage.     Price,  50  cents. 
A  simple,  practical  explanation  of  the  meaning  of  vari- 
ous lines,  marks,  symbols,  etc.,  used  on  working  drawings. 


ESTIMATING    AND     SPECIFICATION     WRITING. 

Estimating  the  Cost  of  Building. — By  Arthur  W.  Joslin. 
218  pages.  Illustrated.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 

This  book  presents  in  compact  and  handy  form  the 
author's  serial  articles  which  were  recently  published  in 
the  columns  of  "Carpentry  and  Building,"  where  they  at- 
tracted wide  interest  and  approval. 

The  work  is  practical,  analytical  and  thorough  in  style. 
It  will  be  an  excellent  prompter  and  guide  to  every  one 
who  has  to  do  with  building  costs  and  superintendence, 
constituting  as  it  does  a  systematic  treatise  on  the  sub- 
ject. 

There  are  important  chapters  on  "Estimating  the  Cost 
of  Building  Alterations"  and  on  "Systems  in  the  Execu- 
tion of  Building  Contracts." 

Hicks'  Builders'  Guide.— By  I.   P.   Hicks.     Revised   1913; 

twentieth  thousand.     168  pages.     Size,  5x6  3-4  ins. 

114  illustrations.     Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 

Presents  a  system  of  simple  and  practical  application 
for  estimating  materials  and  labor  chiefly  as  applied  to 
suburban  residential  work.  One  of  the  most  serviceable 
books  for  contractors  and  builders  as  well  as  for  car- 
penters, who  will  find  it  to  contain  also  a  very  complete 
treatment  on  framing  roofs  of  all  descriptions. 

The  "Guide"  was  designed  by  a  man  who  understood 
the  needs  of  the  young  carpenter  and  builder,  and  the 
knotty  problems  of  the  daily  work  are  solved  in  the  sim- 
plest and  best  ways. 

Estimating  Frame  and  Brick  Houses,  Barns,  Stables, 
Factories  and  Outbuildings — New  Edition,  1913. — By 
Fred  T.  Hodgson,  architect.  248  pages.  Illustrated. 
Size,  5x6  3-4  ins.  Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 

The  book  aims  to  give  a  careful  consideration  to  all  the 
items  and  elements  of  cost  in  construction,  beginning  at 
the  foundation  of  the  building  and  progressing  to  the 
finished  structure.  Young  contractors  and  builders  es- 
pecially will  find  it  to  cover  the  subject  in  a  plain,  practi- 
cal way,  with  detailed  consideration  of  cost  factors,  items 
and  quantities. 

There  is  a  detailed  estimate  of  a  $5000  house  and  addi- 
tions; detailed  estimates  of  kitchen,  dining  room,  parlor, 
den,  halls,  bedrooms,  conservatory,  basement,  bath  room, 
closets,  etc.,  all  figured  out  and  measured  by  the  quickest 
and  simplest  methods.  The  author  also  tells  how  to  es- 


timate  by  cubing,  by  the  square  of  floors  or  walls,  and 
by  the  process  of  comparison,  and  gives  hints  and  prac- 
tical suggestions  for  taking  measurements  and  making 
tenders  for  work. 

Estimating. — By   Edward    Nichols.      140   pages.      14   full- 
page  plates.     Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 
Tells  how  to  go  about  making  an  estimate  intelligently. 
As  a  practical  example,  a    complete    plan  of    a  house  is 
given,   and   the   estimates    of   cost   are    worked   out  from 
this,  with  bills  of  material  and  working  data. 

Handy    Estimate    Blanks.— By  A.  W.  Joslin.     32   pages, 

71-2x10 ins.     Paper.     Price,  25  cents  each;  $2.50  per  doz. 

These  blanks  have  been  prepared  with  the  idea  of  furnishing 

to  contractors  and  builders  a  convenient  form  upon  which  to 

make  an  estimate  and  record  of  cost  of  work  which  they  figure 

on  and  execute.     Space  is  provided  for  recording  all  the  material 

usually    required  on    Residences,   Schools,    Stables,   Garages, 

Apartment  Houses,  small  Factories,  and  Office  Buildings. 

Contracts  and  Specifications. — B«y  J.  C.  Plant.  130  pages. 

Fully  illustrated.     Cloth.  Price,  $1.00. 

A  practical  working  guide  for  the  contractor,  architect 
and  owner.  With  forms  and  an  explanation  of  duties 
and  responsibilities  incident  to  public  and  private  con- 
tracts. 

Hicks'   Specification   Blanks   for   Frame   or   Brick  Build- 
ings.— 18  pages;  size,  8  x  13  3-4  ins.     Single,  35  cents; 
per  dozen,  $4.00. 
Covers    everything   in    the    building;    carpenters'    work, 

masonry,  hardware,  plumbing,  heating,  painting,  tin  and 

sheetmetal  work,  etc. 

Eureka  Building  Specifications. 

Class    B — For   frame    Dwellings    of    Moderate     Cost, 

with  Plumbing  and  Heating.          Price,  40  cents. 
Class   D — For   Brick   Dwellings,   with    Plumbing  and 

Heating.  Price,  50  cents. 

Embraces  all  the  labor  and  materials  necessary  in  the 
erection  and  completion  of  the  building  in  all  its  parts. 


Send  for  our  complete  catalogue  and  let  us  help 
you  find  what  you  want. 

All  books  listed  are  sent  post  or  expressage  paid  on 
receipt  of  price  by 

DAVID  WILLIAMS  CO. 


The  Contractors  and  Builders  Handbook 

BY  WM.  ARTHUR 

No  matter  which  branch  of  building  operation  you  may 
be  interested  in,  you  are  sure  to  find  this  new  reference 
work  of  exceptional  value.  It  covers  everything  that  the 
contractor  and  builder,  architect  or  owner  has  to  think 
about  from  the  operation  of  the  latest  building  law  to  the 
figuring  of  overhead  expenses  and  the  insuring  of  work 
against  fire,  etc.  There  are  hundreds  of  ways  of  losing 
money  in  building  if  one  is  not  careful,  and  the  informa- 
tion given  in  this  book  will  enable  you  to  avoid  them. 
Much  new  matter  on  construction  with  specially  prepared 
tables  is  included.  The  author  has  been  actively  engaged 
in  the  building  business  as  architect,  contractor,  consult- 
ing expert  and  appraiser  for  many  years  and  he  has  treated 
his  subject  simply  and  thoroughly.  The  young  man  just 
starting  in  business  will  find  this  book  equal  to  years  of 
experience.  A  glance  at  the  list  of  contents  will  give  you 
a  fair  idea  of  the  broad  scope  of  this  work. 

CONTENTS 

Relations  Between  the  Contractor  and  the  Architect;  Relations 
Between  the  Contractor  and  the  Owner  or  Real  Estate  Agent; 
Relations  Between  the  Contractor  and  Dealers  and  Subcontractors; 
Relations  Between  the  Contractor  and  his  Workmen;  Reading 
Plans  and  Specifications;  The  Preparation  of  Estimates;  Building 
Contracts;  Nature  of  Contracts;  General  Contracting  or  Subletting; 
Method  of  Work;  Buying  of  Material;  Best  Paying  Work;  Specu- 
lative Building  or  Ready-made  Houses;  Office  Equipment;  Book- 
keeping; About  Keeping  Costs;  Builders'  Law;  Insurance  and 
Bonds;  Hand  and  Machine  Labor;  Weights,  Measures,  and  Their 
Use;  Foundations;  The  Superstructure:  (i)  Walls  and  Masonry, 
(2)  Floor  Loads;  Loads  upon  Posts,  Columns,  Lintels,  Rods,  and 
Ropes;  Concrete  Forms  and  Work;  Construction  Notes  from  the 
San  Francisco  Fire;  A  Short  Chapter;  Fire  Loss  and  Safe  Building; 
Where  to  Locate;  The  Ideal  Education  for  a  General  Contractor; 
The  High  Schools,  Libraries,  and  Tradesmen;  A  Little  Library; 
Big  Contracts;  Miscellaneous. 

384  Pages,  4^x7 \»,  Illustrated,  Flexible  Cloth,  Round  Corners,  Stained  Edges. 
PRICE  $2.00  DELIVERED 


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Fail  to  secure  BEST  RESULTS  from  their  efforts  un- 
less they  secure  Accurate  and  Timely  Information  on 
Building.  BUILDING  AGE  is  the  best  source  of  sup- 
ply for  such  information,  and  an  acknowledged  au- 
thority in  the  "trade. 

BE  UP-TO-DATE.  Post  up  monthly  on  the  practical 
detailed  illustrations  of  interesting  examples  of  do- 
mestic architecture,  embracing  frame  and  concrete 
construction,  school  houses,  dwellings,  bungalows, 
churches,  business  blocks,  garages,  public  buildings. 
SEE  MONTHLY  new  plans,  elevations  and  construc- 
tive details  of  buildings  illustrated  in  the  BUILDING 
AGE,  as  presented  to  convenient  scale,  which  renders 
them  a  perfectly  safe  and  reliable  guide  for  builders' 
use. 

KEEP  POSTED  on  new  labor  and  time-saving  appli- 
ances, tools  and  apparatus. 

All  This  and  More  You  Will  Find  in  the  Building  Age 

Bead    a    Few    Unsolicited    Praises: 

"I  never  saw  the  time  that  I  could  afford  to  be  with- 
out it."  —  A.  L.  W.,  Carbondale,  Pa. 

"I  look  with  pride  upon  my  30  bound  copies.  I  ad- 
vise younger  members  of  the  craft  not  only  to  read  it 
but  to  study  it."—  A.  M.,  Washington,  D.  C. 

"In  my  estimation  each  issue  is  worth  the  price  of  a 
year's  subscription."—  S.  P.  Gray,  Detroit,  Mich. 


Then  Request  that  we  send  you  The  BUILDING  AGE 
regularly.     Only  $1  a  Year;  Canada,  $1.25;  Foreign,  $2. 

BUILDING  AGE,  239  West   39th  Street,  NEW  YORK. 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 

lii....;     V' 


AUvi  2S  1&35 

J/lftH  10  1937 

API:   1  I  [?33 

10   JtDUU 


5493067 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


